The vacant St Andrews School in Inverurie will be demolished by early 2024, Aberdeenshire Council has announced.
The school building in the town centre has been earmarked for demolition, with the council now looking to hire a demolition contractor.
A local councillor has already suggested some uses for the site that would benefit the community, such as a public park, retail park or housing.
St Andrews School was an additional needs school and that operated from the 1950s until it eventually closed down in 2020.
It has been abandoned since with the new St Andrews School, and around 88 pupils moving to the new Inverurie Community Campus in 2021.
The school was merged with Inverurie Academy and became one large complex on Jackson Street.
However, for the past three years, the old abandoned building has been fenced off, with demolition plans on the cards since its closure.
Now, Aberdeenshire Council has lodged a tender through Public Contracts Scotland to carry out the demolition.
A council spokesman says they hope to reduce the building to rubble by early 2024.
He said: “Subject to obtaining planning permission, it would be our intention to demolish the building in early 2024.
“It is the intention that the site would be marketed for development opportunities.”
Inverurie councillor Neil Baillie says he would be “delighted” to see the site regenerated into something that benefits the community.
This could be a public park or retail development, however, Mr Baillie says Inverurie has a strong demand for housing.
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