Cumnock building: Former Greenmill Primary School future

Officials from East Ayrshire Council (EAC) are now weighing up options for the former Greenmill Primary building on Barrhill Road.

The building - last used as a temporary home for Netherthird Primary - has lain empty and increasingly derelict since the new Netherthird facility in Craigens Road was opened in February this year.

In response to an enquiry from the Chronicle, EAC said that while the building has been marketed for sale, no interested parties have yet come forward.

A cabinet meeting in April heard that the building could potentially be demolished, if a buyer wasn't found for the property.

READ MORE: Former Cumnock school building 'could be demolished'

At the time, Cumnock and New Cumnock SNP councillor Jim McMahon said he hoped that the building was not on the market for too long, to stop potential issues of vandalism occurring.

Andrew Kennedy, head of facilities and property at EAC, said in April that the building would be up for sale for "a couple of months" before a further decision would be made - and said that if no buyer came forward, demolition of the building could be considered.

An EAC spokesperson confirmed that the future of the former primary is being reviewed.

They said: "The former Greenmill Primary School has been marketed for sale however, to date, there have been no expressions of interest.

"The council is therefore currently reviewing future options for the building."

The building is currently empty. (Image: NQ Archive)

April's cabinet meeting heard that if no-one came forward to buy the building, and it was decided to go ahead with demolition, EAC would then look to put the empty site on the market.

Originally home to Cumnock Academy, the building became home to Greenmill Primary's pupils and staff in 1969 when the Academy's then-new home - confusingly, on the site of the previous Greenmill Primary School - opened off Ayr Road.

Greenmill moved out in 2020, when the school merged with Barshare Primary and moved to the new Barony Campus to form Lochnorris Primary School.

But the building then became the temporary home of Netherthird Primary School - three years after problems were discovered with the old Netherthird building's ceilings.

The site was vacated for what is looking increasingly likely to be the final time during the mid-term school break in February, when Netherthird's new buildings were completed - with the building targeted by vandals within weeks of Netherthird's departure.