To market for former primary school building: Lack of preventative maintenance sees old property deteriorate

The former Langholm Primary School is to be placed on the open market for sale.
Annandale and Eskdale Area committee made the decision to look at various options for the school at their meeting in September 2015.
It was noted that the former Langholm Primary School was surplus to Council requirements and it was decided that the marketing of the former site be put on hold for up to nine months or until the options appraisal work for health and social care provision in Langholm and Esk Valley was completed, whichever was sooner and the findings were reported back to the area committee.
No plans
In April 2018 the locality manager of Annandale & Eskdale community health and social care said that there were no plans to use the school site for a health and social care facility but confirmed that another site had been identified in Langholm to develop a new extra care housing project and a local housing provider is progressing the purchase of that site.
The delay in submitting a further report to area committee was caused by a delay in the required report to the Integration Joint Board (IJB). A report was submitted in November 2016 but specific reference was not made to the primary school but did set out the need to develop new capital projects in the Langholm area.
Partnership
When the report was finally submitted to the IJB in September 2017 it was advised that Health and Social Care may be interested in developing the school in partnership with a local housing provider. However a further report in February 2018 advised that the housing association felt that it was unlikely they would pursue their interest in the school site and that, as far as they were concerned, it could now be sold.
Langholm Ewes and Westerkirk Community Council, Langholm Day Centre, Langholm Initiative, Eskdale Foundation and Muckletoon Adventure Festival were all asked whether they had a need for the property but none of these organisations had a requirement for it. In spite of existing groups, business and members of the public known collectively as Langholm Alliance initially expressed a verbal interest in the property it has since confirmed that it would be premature to formally express an interest in acquiring the property through the Community Asset Transfer process and if the council wished to proceed to market the school they would not object to that course of action.
The Xcel Project submitted a Stage 1 Community Asset Transfer request for the former dining hall and part of the playground but later confirmed that they did not wish to proceed.
Deteriorating
After due consideration the Annandale & Eskdale Area Committee proposed that the property be placed on the market for sale as soon as possible. The building is deteriorating and is being subject to both vandalism and general issues coming from lack of planned preventative maintenance. It is also incurring standing energy charges. If the property is not placed on the open market it will deteriorate further with the consequence of a drain on revenue costs and loss in value.