Published: Thursday, 25th September, 2008 8:25am

Former Inverkeithing Primary School building put under the hammer

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FLUSH with success after flogging off old public toilets at auction, Fife Council is now selling a school to the highest bidder.

Unfortunately it"s not in Dunfermline"s eastern expansion and won"t solve the "third school" problem – but it could pour £500,000 into council coffers.

Parts of the old Inverkeithing Primary School, off Roods Road, are over 130-years-old but it could be converted into flats after going under the hammer in Glasgow this Wednesday.

The auction will be conducted by SVA Property Auctions, who famously sold a St Andrews toilet buidling for the council which went for £190,000.

They also sold two bog-standard old lavatory blocks in Rosyth and Dunfermline for the council for more modest sums – but could make a big splash in Inverkeithing.

SVA"s Shaun Vigers said, 'We"d be delighted if it went for more than half a million pounds but I suspect it may not. However, if someone wants the property and has a good scheme that fits their bag, shall we say, then buying it at that level is good value.'

The site contains two schools, the single-storey junior primary, which dates from 1874, and the two-storey senior primary, which was completed in 1913.

In the description, SVA Property Auctions said both schools are Category C listed buildings and could provide around 25,000 sq ft of accommodation.

The brochure adds, 'The two schools are handsome buildings set in a useful amount of land and benefit from the short distance to both the High Street shops and the railway station.

'It is envisaged that, subject to appropriate planning consents, the property will be developed for residential or commercial use.'

Councillor Alice McGarry, who represents Inverkeithing, told the Press, 'It"s a landmark building in the town and I"ve always thought it would go for flats.

'It"s been on the market for some time but in the downturn it"s not sold so we knew it would go to auction.

'The money"s not there to have public museums on that scale so it has to be sold commercially and hopefully the council will get a good price and it"ll be turned into homes.

'It"s immediately behind the town centre so it would be achievable without too much of an impact and there would be affordable homes as part of any planning agreement.

'It"s a substantial building and it would need a lot done internally, someone may just buy the land.

'The difficulty then is if nothing"s done as it becomes a target for vandalism and it could drag the area down.

'The sooner something"s done with it, the better and all councillors will support anything that benefits the town.'

Mr Vigers said, 'We"ve had a fair number of enquiries about it as it"s an interesting re-development opportunity and a big chunk of property. It has scope for alternative uses although the most obvious one is residential.'

He continued, 'It"s extremely difficult to judge what it will fetch in the current market.'

He acknowledged the state of the building trade wasn"t positive at the moment but said, 'The buyer would need planning permission and other consents – such as listed building consent – and they won"t happen overnight while they"ll need architect"s drawings and suchlike too.

'The world changed in a week, there"s no reason why it shouldn"t change for the better just as quickly.'

However Inverkeithing historian Dave King said, 'There"s too much involved to turn them into flats and, as a retired brickie, I know the building trade is a disaster just now.

'The old school opposite, which was built in 1874, is a listed building.

'It would make an ideal museum as the one we have just now has about 150 steps to get up there!'

He continued, 'I"ve written a booklet about the school and I have some memorabilia as it was all going in the bucket when they closed it down.

'I"ve got the old dux board, which was mahogany and donated by Inverkeithing town council in 1956 with the names of the head boys and girls, and the big school bell, which is in the Town House.'

And he added, 'There"s still a lot of interest in the school and I"ve invited former pupils to come and see old slides and class photos from the past, which people seem to enjoy.'

The council has also put up for auction a former depot at 99 Chalmers Street, Dunfermline, which consists of offices, a workshop and several stores.

It also has a toilet block.