In principle sale of three former village schools backed

Bruce Sinclair – Local Democracy Reporter

The sale of three former village schools, which could net a local authority more than £1m has been backed by senior councillors.

At the July 1 meeting of Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet, members were asked to back the sales of the former Cwmpadarn, Tregaron and Trewen primary schools, the latter used as a Covid vaccine centre during the pandemic.

The sites were valued at £500,000, £250,000, and £300,000 respectively.

Withdrawn

A report for members said a resolution to sell the Cwmpadarn school was decided back in 2017, but later withdrawn as a sale with a developer did not progress.

It added: “The current condition of the buildings is reasonable, but getting to the point of requiring investment to maintain their condition. The building has been in use as storage of office furniture, which are in the process of being cleared ahead of marketing and sale.

“Some external elements are beginning to show signs of failure and the buildings have been subject to some damage, and attempted break ins.  Whilst there may be some development potential, there are associated planning and development risks. The recommendation is to offer the site for sale at a fair market value.”

A complication on the Cwmpadarn sale was a potential for it to be taken on by the community council, with discussions ongoing, members heard.

Poor condition

On the Tregaron school – which closed back in 2014 – members were told: “The current condition of the building is poor, and it will require significant maintenance and investment to preserve it in reasonable condition.

“There is potential scope for development by the council, and whilst some high-level plans were developed in 2019, work stopped at that point due to potential phosphate constraints on the Teifi. Assessment of the approach to develop the site by CCC would suggest the gains would be marginal when set against the planning costs, abortive costs and the internal and external resources that would be required to develop the site.”

It was recommended the site be put on the open market following a comprehensive promotional exercise.

After Trewern was closed in 2019, it was used as a Covid Vaccine centre until 2022, since when it has remained vacant, members heard.

Scope

“The current condition of the building is reasonable, but it will require maintenance and investment within the next year to preserve it in reasonable condition.  There is potential scope for development by the council, but the gains would be marginal when set against the possible planning risks and abortive costs, and internal and external resources that would be required to develop the site.

“We have had expressions of interest in the site from individuals for future use and development, and so the purpose of putting the property on the open market is to achieve best value for the education service.”

Members agreed to the principle of disposal of the three sites, with the caveat for Cwmpadarn of the potential community council option.