Calls for school building to become care home

A primary school outside Aberdeen could be turned into a care home when pupils move into their new building.

Lower Deeside councillor, M Tauqeer Malik, is leading calls for the Monearn Gardens site to be turned into a retirement community.

Under Mr Malik’s suggestion, care home residents would be brought into the heart of the village when children relocate to the £21.9 million school at Oldfold Farm.

Mr Malik told a meeting of Aberdeen city council’s capital programme committee: “I believe there is a growing need for a care village type accommodation, as well as residential family living for over 55s.

“The truth of the matter is that none of us is getting any younger.”

He also asked if the council could control the site over another developer.

Fellow ward member Marie Boulton agreed.

She said: “It is important that we do have the school site demolished as quickly as possible.

“We want to be prepared for this so that we don’t have any unnecessary costs to the council and that we don’t have a derelict site.”

The motion was unanimously backed, and options will be brought back to the committee in June.

The school site will not be marketed for sale until it is complete.

Construction work started at the replacement Milltimber School in August.

This followed news it would be delayed by a year, with the blame being placed on builders too scared to travel to Aberdeen over Covid risks.

The Milltimber building should now be ready by the spring.