Work is to get underway later this month on a £250,000 project to renovate a former community centre in Rugby into a day nursery.
Around a dozen jobs will be created when the Brownsover Community Centre in Hollowell Way is rejuvenated by specialist commercial property developer, UK & Maine.
The company, who bought the building through commercial property experts Shortland Penn + Moore, has completed the first phase of the scheme by converting the former Merry Monk pub into a Tesco Express.
Now, internal refurbishment work will be carried out to transform Brownsover Community Centre into a day nursery along with creating a garden for the youngsters and completing substantial repairs to the dilapidated roof.
Roger Ahmed, managing director of UK & Maine, said a nursery operator has already been signed up and 65 places would be available.
He said: “We are really pleased to be bringing this old community centre back to life again to serve local families.
“The Tesco Express is open at the site of the former Merry Monk pub which had been closed and the second phase of the rejuvenation project has now begun to carry out refurbishment work inside Brownsover Community Centre.
“It hadn’t closed down but it was becoming used less and less, as groups decided to meet elsewhere because repairs needed carrying out.
“Rocking Horse Kindergarten will be running it and they have a great deal of experience since they already have two other sites.
“We expect the work to take three months to carry out so by the end of the summer, it will be great to see the centre thriving once again.”
David Penn, managing director at Coventry-based Shortland Penn + Moore, said this would bring to life an important building in Brownsover.
“We have considerable recent experience of sales of properties such as community centres, working men’s clubs, redundant church sites and public houses which are now being put to development and alternative uses and this is a good example. Land activity is a speciality of ours and we are beginning to see more activity,” he said.
“UK & Maine has vast development experience and the conversion will be carried out efficiently and to a high standard which will be of great benefit to children using the day nursery.
“They received permission to start the redevelopment on May 7 and contractors will start to carry out the necessary work later this month.
“This work in the 4,500 sq ft premises will be an exciting addition to the Local Centre’s facilities and we wish Rocking Horse Kindergarten all the best with their third site.”
