Plans lodged to turn former Dumfries art school into flats

The former George Street School of Art and Design in Dumfries could be turned into 14 affordable flats.

Plans submitted by agent Norman Young on behalf of site owner, Billy Hewitson, the Queen of the South chairman, details the proposal to transform the disused site.

The building is included in the council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for the provision of affordable housing.

The Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Investment Programme has committed £3 billion to fund the delivery of 100,000 new homes nationally over a five year period.

Jamie Little, strategic housing and regeneration investment team leader for the council, said: “The former School of Art is currently included in the council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan for the provision of affordable housing only.

“Inclusion in this plan highlights the support of the council as strategic housing authority for the project to progress.

“Furthermore, this inclusion indicates that the principle of financial support from the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme is in place. As such, any developer contributions should be considered on this basis.”

The disused art school, which has lain empty for nearly 15 years, was designed by the architect A B Crombie and built on behalf of the Dumfries Burgh School Board in 1899.

George Street School of Art and Design opened in 1994 in buildings occupied by the old technical college, later renamed Dumfries and Galloway College. It has lain unused since 2008 when the college moved to the Crichton.

Greensands Regeneration Ltd, based in Edinburgh, applied for and was given planning consent to convert the imposing building into nine flats in 2017 but the development failed to come to fruition.