Properties put on the market

By Ian Dipple 10/08 Updated: 10/08 09:56

A NUMBER of former school sites across Redditch are being sold-off as part of council plans to raise £14 million.

Worcestershire County Council has put 18 disused properties or pieces of land on the market including the former Claybrook Primary School site which closed in 2001.

The former Dingleside Middle School and the site of Ipsley First School are also on the list and are currently under offer.

The former children’s home in Walton Close is also included as well as the Crossgates depot offices near to the landfill site.

The move is part of the council’s BOLD plan - Better Outcomes Leaner Delivery - which aims to save £90 million by 2015 as a result of public spending cuts.

Money raised will be used to reinvest into protecting frontline services.

All of the sites are deemed to be surplus to requirements but the exact amount each building or piece of land is expected to sell for is not being revealed.

Coun David Thain, responsible for transformation and change on the council, said: “Our property disposal programme is an important part of BOLD – it’s all about getting the best return for taxpayers. It’s not just a case of, ‘We’ve got no use for this, we’ll sell it’ – if there are opportunities to join up with other land owners nearby or private developers and sell it as a larger site, we’ll do so.”