A prominent former primary school in Perth city centre will be sold for housing, The Courier has learnt.
A council committee will rubber-stamp the deal to dispose of the Caledonian Road Primary School to Caledonia Housing Association this week.
The building has been mothballed since late 2009, when pupils were moved into the newly-built Glenearn Community Campus, and has been on the market for almost a year.
Local artists had hoped to create an arts centre in the distinctive school but they could not gather the funds in time to make an offer.
The interest of the housing association prompted the council to place a closing date on the sale last October and it is understood that its plans are now firmly in place.
Details of the deal are being kept under wraps and the meeting of Perth and Kinross Council’s property sub-committee, which will ratify the deal on Wednesday, is being held behind closed doors.
The Courier understands that 24 new flats will be built within the old school, with work expected to start soon and be completed by 2015.
Despite the interest of the Perth Contemporary Arts Trust, the council was keen for the complex to become affordable flats to help ease the ongoing crisis in the housing market.
The council is set to inject £200,000 into the project and expects to trigger a high level of Scottish Government funding as well.
An artists’ studio, workshops, exhibition area, galleries and community facilities were envisaged by the Perth Contemporary Arts Trust for the Caledonian Road project.
The bid had been fronted by trustee, Royal Scottish Academy secretary and Duncan of Jordanstone lecturer Arthur Watson, who said such a centre is badly needed in Scotland’s newest city.
The vision included studios for 40 to 50 artists on the first and second floors, external workshops and scope for outdoor works on the site.
Mr Watson said it would be ”provide a significant artistic community where artists can create, collaborate and show their work”.
Space for a programme of national and international exhibitions as well as classes and workshops for adults and young people would be included.
An international collection would have been housed in the annexe and provided an area for voluntary arts organisations.
A spokesman for the trust said the setback would not stop its search for a suitable site, particularly with the V&A coming to Dundee in the near future.
He said: ”We still believe there is a need for a contemporary art gallery in Perth with artist studio and associated workshop space. It’s very much needed in our view.
”We’re trying to persuade people like the council that it would be a good idea. We know it’s difficult for them in these financial times to raise their eyes to the future but in our view it’s the right time to be planning because these things don’t happen overnight and we will need a fair wind behind us.”
B-listed Caledonian Road Primary closed in October 2009. It was built in 1892 to serve the expanding city centre, replacing the old North Port, King Street and Seymour-Munro schools.
An annexe, which later housed the kitchens, dining room and classrooms, was built in 1902.
Until 1950 it was an infant, junior and senior school before the secondary department was transferred to the new Perth High School in 1950.