Former school up for sale

A FORMER village school is set to be unexpectedly sold off by Dumfries and Galloway Council.

The Old School building in Crossmichael had been leased by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) since the early 1990s, writes Marc McLean.

However, the charity has now walked away from its base.

So, the council has declared the Old School as “surplus to requirements” and it will “now progress through the disposal process as timeously as possible.”

A report for next week’s economy and infrastructure committee states: “The council own the property known as Old School, Crossmichael, extending to 3002 square metres. This property has been leased by the RSPB for circa 34 years. The RSPB have now terminated their lease and vacated the property.

“Prior to the lease terminating, the council were approached by the RSPB’s sub-tenant (who subleased part of the building from the RSPB) with a view to purchasing this property.

“The council have entered into a short-term lease with the prospective purchaser to cover the interim period to allow them to continue to operate their business from the property whilst the council’s disposal process is progressed.”

Elected members will discuss the situation and consider whether or not they believe the building should be sold off as suggested.