The former St Andrew’s School in Inverurie could be knocked down later this year to provide some lucrative development land in the town.
A building warrant explains that it would cost Aberdeenshire Council £50,000 to demolish the old building.
Pupils and staff moved from the former St Andrew’s Gardens site to a new state-of-the-art school within the £55 million Inverurie Community Campus in October 2020.
The vacant building has lain empty ever since.
For many years, the special school taught children aged between three and 18 years with additional support needs.
Following the relocation, youngsters at St Andrew’s now have access to their own sensory rooms, a sensory garden, soft play, hydrotherapy pool and therapy spaces.
What will happen to the old St Andrew’s School site?
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council confirmed the demolition was scheduled for later this year.
The site would then be put on the market for potential buyers to snap up and redevelop.
He said: “Subject to obtaining the necessary permissions, it would be our intention to demolish the building in the autumn.
“It is currently the intention that the vacant site would be marketed for development opportunities.”
Parents made multiple attempts to save St Andrew’s School
Aberdeenshire Council first unveiled its plan to merge the school with the replacement Inverurie Academy back in 2016.
But, the proposal was met with some concern from parents who worried that the move would put their children’s education at risk.
One parent, Joanne Jamieson, even started a petition in a bid to save the town school – which gathered around 3,000 signatures.
Some even claimed that the plan to relocate the school was an “injustice” to parents and pupils.
Why did the school relocate to the Inverurie campus?
However, despite these calls the local authority pressed ahead with the merger in 2017.
Officers argued that the move would “address existing and future needs” of pupils attending St Andrew’s School.
They also believed the new facility would give youngsters a better learning experience while allowing them to mingle with academy pupils.
Construction work on the new Inverurie Community Campus was marked with a sod cutting ceremony led by former Provost Bill Howatson in May 2018.