An Aberdeenshire school which has been mothballed for years could be turned into a gin distillery as ideas are sought for its future.
Strachan Primary School, which has capacity for 50 pupils, had struggled with low numbers for years before being boarded up in June 2017.
And as no parents have signed their children up for the 2019/20 session, it will remain shut for at least the next year.
Aberdeenshire Council’s education committee will next week consider three options for the future of the building.
Although reopening it and continuing it as it is have been suggested, officers say that closing it down is “currently considered to be the only viable option”.
With that in mind, the authority is now appealing for proposals from residents about what they would like the building to become if the school officially closes.
Several ideas have been outlined by local community groups, including maintaining it as an educational establishment, using it as a café, turning it into a shop, and even using it as a gin distillery.
Banchory and Mid-Deeside councillor, Ann Ross, said the closure of the school was a “desperately sad” situation for the village and that any decision on its future use would not be taken lightly.
She said: “Aberdeenshire Council has been working really hard with the local community to find out what they want from the future of Strachan School.
“We have had extensive consultation events, and have sent letters to every property within the catchment area.
“It has been the village school and the lifeblood of the community, and it is desperately sad we’ve found ourselves in this situation.
“Whatever option the committee chooses, it will be a difficult choice to make.”
The school was first boarded up in 2015 due to a lack of pupils.
Although the situation improved for a spell, towards the end of the 2016/17 school session it became clear the number of children enrolled would soon fall to zero.
The decision was made in June 2017 to mothball – or temporarily close – the school once again.
Some of the reasons the population of children at the school dropped included older pupils moving on to secondary schools, as well as parents placing requests to send their youngsters to other schools around Strachan so their children could benefit from an education alongside a higher number of classmates.
Locals can suggest proposals for the school’s future to Aberdeenshire Council, but they must be submitted by Friday, June 14.
To send an idea, people can email learningestates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or visit the learning estates team at Gordon House in Inverurie.
