Stakeholders to tour derelict Primary School with a view to community useage
Interested stakeholders from will tomorrow get a guided tour of the town's old primary school with a view to repurposing the derelict building for community use.
The school was closed ten years ago after the construction of a new building on the other side of the town, but has since lain vacant and been subject to break-ins, vandalism and decline.
Built in 1938 and extended in 1979, when it closed, it had 570 pupils in 21 classes, partly facilitated with mobile classrooms.
The Education Authority retained it for the past ten years and planned to use it for special educational needs provision, however, it is understood that new provision at the nearby High School and made the site redudant.
At a recent Town Hall meeting, the Education Authority told a range of invited stakeholders that it is now uninhabitable and could take £1 million to restore.
A spokesperson for the Education Authority (EA) told the News Letter: "EA has determined that the former Dromore Central PS site and buildings is surplus to requirement and has no potential for future use.
"If the Department of Education approves the decision to dispose of the site, then Land and Property Services policy will be followed.
"Following pre-disposal due diligence, the first step in the process is to circulate the property’s details across the public sector to determine if there is another legitimate public sector requirement."
The EA was unable to give any estimated timelines for how the process might proceed.
Ultimately, if no other arm of government expresses an interest in the land, it could end up for sale to a private buyer.
DUP MLA Emma Little Pengelly said she recently had a positive meeting with the Education Authority.
"This site has been empty for about 10 years and it's caused a lot of issues," she said. "There have been lots of conversations with local residents here and everybody is really keen to see something happening with that site.”
Alliance MLA Michelle Guy said The Education Authority, Strategic Investment Board and senior officials from ABC Council, along with local representatives, met collectively recently to discuss potential uses.
"A range of actions were agreed to progress some ideas and I am liaising with the EA to establish timelines for this process,” she added.