Sandham Middle School has been standing empty since the three tier to two tier school re-organisation took place in 2011 – slowly deteriorating and falling further into neglect.
The cash-strapped Isle of Wight council now plan to demolish the buildings to remove any further liability and a planning application is currently open to the public for comment.
Extensive community talks
Although a local community group had been in extensive talks with the Isle of Wight council for over a year on plans to turn the site into a mix of employment, community and residential uses to benefit the Sandown Bay area, a way forward could not be found as they weren’t able to take on the responsibility for the derelict buildings.
‘Sharing economy’ approach
Ian Boyd from Arc Consulting, who has been involved with the talks on behalf of the community group, told OnTheWight,
“The Bay Coastal Team has been keen to explore the possibilities for a ‘sharing economy’ approach to the Sandham site – the reuse of the land and buildings for a mix of employment, community and residential uses that could fit with the life of the Bay.
“This is ‘The Imagination Refinery’, the brainchild of Nigel George and an approach that’s proven very effective elsewhere, such as the Hamilton House project in Bristol.
“We worked for a year to try and find a way to move the idea into reality, but weren’t able to take on the responsibility for the derelict buildings, and the council, under great pressure in so many areas, faced exactly the same problem.”
Rapidly falling into disrepair
A planning application which is currently open to public comment states,
“The site has no future use as an educational facility, and is rapidly falling into disrepair. The Council seeks to clear all of the current structures from site to remove any liability they pose in their current condition whilst the future of the site is considered.”
Remaining optimistic
Ever the optimist, Ian Boyd went on to say,
“There has been tremendous support for a different and more locally crafted approach to the redevelopment of the site, including a partnership with Portsmouth University which can only be a good thing for the Bay area and for the Island.
“We very much hope that we can continue to work with the council, the community and future site owners to deliver something special and keep the vision and values of the Imagination Refinery alive.”
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