COUNCIL bosses are staying tight-lipped over claims that the former Highlanders’ Academy building in Greenock was sold off for only £50,000.

A former pupil says he obtained information about the sale to the Sanctuary Scotland housing association.

The man, who did not want to be named, said he had asked a Municipal Buildings official about the sale of the site on Mount Pleasant Street, where demolition is well under way, pictured.

He said: “An employee eventually and reluctantly confirmed the selling price.

“This person also stated that the £50,000 valuation was performed by a Glasgow company.”

The local resident says he is is angry that no part of the historic school is being preserved.

He told the Tele: “The finances recovered by selling off the sandstone and ironwork is allowed to stay with the demolition company as part of a deal to reduce the demolition costs.

“The sandstone from the school has already been sold, the railings and gates are being sold for scrap.

“No part of the school’s existence will be remembered or celebrated formally.”

He also claimed another company removed floorboards and joists marked ‘1854’ that have survived two world wars and a major fire at the school in 1954.

The man said: “There were little to no costs associated with the school, as there were no ongoing maintenance contracts.

“The ground floor windows had been boarded up and the school entrance on Dempster Street had also been blocked, but these were the only upkeep measures applied since 2012.
“The demolition site foreman confirmed there was no internal vandalism prior to his company starting work on site.”

The Tele put the claims to the council and asked them to comment.

A spokesman said: “The sales price is a matter of public record, and was set independently of the council.

“The site was on the market for a considerable period of time — two years — and attracted a single note of interest.

“It was eventually sold as part of a package of sites to a Registered Social Landlord to provide much-needed social housing for Inverclyde.”

He added: “It is standard industry practice as part of any demolition contract for the materials recovered, such as metalwork and wood, to be sold to offset the demolition cost.

“Anyone who registers a note of interest in a council site for sale in Inverclyde will have an opportunity to bid on that site.”

The council have said previously that planning permission was not needed to demolish the building because they owned it and it was not listed.

Peter Martin, director of development for the Sanctuary Group, has said that they had considered converting Highlanders.

He said: “Highlanders’ Academy has been empty since it closed in 2012, and, with the support of the Scottish Government, Inverclyde Council identified the site for much needed social housing as part of its strategic housing investment programme for affordable housing.

“We are aware of the affection there is for this building locally, and converting it was one of the options we considered.

“However, we soon established this was not cost effective and would not provide best value for the public funding being received for this scheme from the Scottish Government.

“It would also limit the number of homes that can be built, when compared to developing on the cleared site.”