School set to move into former Blackpool library

Blackpool Council has agreed to lease the former Hawes Side Library on Hawes Side Lane, Marton, to Hexagon Care Service Ltd to provide a small independent school for up to 25 children.

The library has been closed since 2003.

A council report says Hexagon operates the Birches School on Breck Road in Poulton but wants to move into bigger premises.

The school caters for pupils with complex needs, many of whom have had their education elsewhere disrupted.

A statement supplied by Hexagon Care Services says: “Local authorities, including Blackpool, are finding it increasingly difficult to secure appropriate education provision for pupils with challenging behaviours and or special educational needs.

“Hawes Side will allow Hexagon to provide appropriate quality education to the young people they look after and will remove the pressure from Blackpool to educate them.”

The former library will be leased at an annual rent of £15,000 per year following an initial 12-month rent-free period to allow for refurbishment at Hexagon’s own cost.

A report by Blackpool Council says the proposed use is in keeping with the building’s educational background and would see investment and refurbishment of an important disused building saving it from further deterioration.

The move would also “support Blackpool Council in achieving its statutory duty to meet the educational needs of the pupils it serves, many of whom have complex needs.”