Bid to keep old Victorian school in community use

A campaign has been launched to keep a former Victorian school building in community use.

The Fosse Neighbourhood Centre is currently home to a library and a food bank but is set to close as part of a wider plan by Leicester City Council to save £1.57m a year by restructuring how the authority runs its community buildings.

The council said the building had a declining number of users and requires a series of expensive repairs, which is why it has been earmarked for sale.

A group of social enterprise companies said it wants the council to make the Grade II listed property an asset of community value as part of its own bid to buy the building.

The Leicester Social Enterprise Network (LSEN) said it wanted to take over the property in Mantle Road and run it as a community hub.

It is set to present a petition, signed by 79 people who support its plan, to the city council at a meeting on Thursday.

LSEN chief executive David Brazier said: "The Fosse Neighbourhood Centre is such an important part of that community, which is a deprived area.

"Our vision would be to buy it and keep it as a place to serve people in the area.

"Other people may have plans for it and developers may want to buy it, but if the council declares it as an asset of community value it would give us about 12 months to work up our plans and start fundraising."

The council said The Alice Hawkins Community Projects group, which runs a weekly food bank from the site, is set to be relocated.

Brazier added: "If we got the building we would be delighted to keep the food bank in it, if they want to stay.

"We'd also be happy to host the library but that does not seem to be part of the council's plans.

"We'd like to have a community cafe for local people and we'd generate income by creating office space for rent."

Brazier said his plan for the building was based on a similar initiative run by the LSEN at Phoenix Studios in Belgrave Gate, Leicester.

"I think we'd need about £1m for our plan for the Fosse Neighbourhood Centre. We can apply for grants and loans but what we'd like from the council is time to get our plans ready," he added.

A council spokesperson said: "The council is always willing to work with community groups and listen to proposals that could deliver benefits for residents.

"Any proposal involving an asset of community value would need to be assessed carefully against legal, financial, constitutional and community benefit considerations before any decision could be made."

The council said the library based in the building would close in October 2026.

The spokesperson added: "We are working with Alice Hawkins Community Projects, which operates from the annex of the building, to explore options to relocate elsewhere within the local area, recognising the significant benefits that this provides to local people.

"The food bank is able to remain at Fosse Neighbourhood Centre until December 2026."

The authority said it planned to market the building for sale from January 2027.

Listen to BBC Radio Leicester on Sounds and follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.