As a Yarmouth school prepares its move down the road to Freshwater, the town council is bidding to save its old building.
The decision was made in 2020 to move Yarmouth Primary School to the former site of All Saints’ Primary School site, after a multi-million-pound rebuild and the amalgamation of the two education settings.
Building will be left empty
It will leave the school’s former building, on Mill Road, empty when the new one is complete and fears of losing the building have led Yarmouth Town Council to try and save it.
To do so, it is in the process of making an application to the Isle of Wight Council to turn it into an asset of community value (ACV).
Aims to preserve premises as educational and community resource
Yarmouth Town Council clerk, Brian Jacobs, said the application is undergoing its final review before submission and covers all buildings and land on the site.
Mr Jacobs said it is hoped it will preserve the premises as an educational and community resource for the residents of Yarmouth rather than the site passing into private hands for redevelopment.
He said Yarmouth residents are determined that such a valuable community hub should not be lost.
Benefits of ACV status
As a valued community asset, should the building be put up for sale within five years of the successful application, the local community would be informed and be given a six-month moratorium period to see if they could raise the money necessary to purchase it.
The history of Yarmouth Primary School is currently being recorded and former students are contributing their memories.
School move to Freshwater
The school will complete its move to Freshwater in the not too distant future according to the Federation of the Church Schools of Shalfleet and Yarmouth governing body.
Pupils are still on the site and operating from the building and temporary classrooms installed to accommodate the larger number of children currently attending the school.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
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