Four years after being put up for sale, the historic former school building in Kilcreggan is still standing empty.
A listed building, the old school is owned by Argyll and Bute Council, which put it on the market for £95,000 and four years ago said negotiations with a buyer were ‘continuing’.
In October last year the council said an offer had been received ‘and it is hoped that settlement will be reached in the very near future’.
But there appears to have been no progress , with a council spokesperson saying this week: “The premises in School Road, Kilcreggan are presently under offer and it is hoped the sale will be concluded in the near future.
“The building is regularly inspected by the council’s property officer.”
He declined to say when the council had most recently communicated with the prospective buyer, or give details of any work which had been carried out to maintain the C-listed building
A request to see the interior of the 150 year-old property was refused, and there was no comment on the council’s treatment of the building in relation to the authority’s own policies on maintaining historic buildings, which advise owners to ‘Spend now, save later’ and regularly set aside funds for repairs.
The community centre was closed down by the then Dumbarton District Council in the 1990s, with local volunteers stepping in to run it as the Rainbow Centre.
But costs were mounting, and the directors of Cove Burgh Hall – also taken over by the community when facing closure after the council had failed to maintain it – were reluctant to take the gamble of running both buildings.
It was decided to close the doors of the School Road building, which had been used by groups including a karate club and playgroup, and entrust its future to the council.
In 2013 a proposal to alter the building and change its use to form three houses, demolishing a plant room, was approved by the council.
4 years to not sell a building? 12 months on Castle Toward isn’t sold either, numerous other vacant properties deteriorating and costing us money. The council estates dept should be closed and the work outsourced to an organisation that actually knows what it is doing.
This building should have been taken over by the Rosneath PenisulaTrust could have been used summer and winter for indoor and outdoor activities for all ages.
I suspect A&B council is waiting for it to become so decrepit that it will be condemned and then they can just sell the plot to property developers – a fate that looks like will also befall Craigrownie Church Hall, next to the Burgh Hall – completely neglected – who are the owner/’developers’? Can’t they be called to account for the church hall’s neglect??
It is owned by a property developer.
I approached them some years ago,this is another building that the Youth Cafe are interested in trying to save through the community empowerment law. If anyone would like to join the case please get in touch we have a facebook page Cove and Kilcreggan Youth Cafe
The Cove and Kilcreggan Youth Cafe would be very interested to know what is happening here,we are desperate for a larger premises .