An Aberdeen community group are calling on supporters to rally round in a last ditch effort to save a Victorian school from demolition.
A planning application has been submitted for the destruction of Torry’s Victoria Road Primary School and its replacement by 62 new homes.
But Torry Community Council have long objected to the plans, and are now calling on all supporters to write to council chiefs expressing their concerns before Tuesday.
The proposals by Barratt North Scotland Limited involve building 25% affordable housing and two large areas of public open space including a play area.
The school was built in 1838 and closed its doors in 2008.
A petition was launched last year to save the “heritage” building, and gained more than 2,000 signatures.
But city councillors voted 19 to 14 to demolish the school and sell the land.
Last night Bob Gibb, of the community council, said the campaign aimed to “save Torry’s heritage” adding he hoped the granite school could be brought back into use in the future.
The 83-year-old said: “This is a short-sighted measure.
“Torry is one of the city’s oldest communities and now the council are set to wreck this historic building.
“They could at least keep the facade, and we’ve asked them too, but everything we’ve said has been ignored.
“Walker Road School is overcrowded already and these new flats will bring new families with them.
“We have all we need for the school, it just needs a tidy up and it could be opened again.”
Finance convener Willie Young said the fate of the building was now in the hands of the developers.
Last night, Barratt said it was it still in talks with planning officers.
Douglas McLeod, regional director at Barratt said: “We are in discussion with the planning committee on the finer details of the design and a commitment has been made to provide new granite to the new buildings.”
Councillors will decide the fate of the building at an upcoming meeting.