Kilrymont School - A National Treasure?

It has come to our attention that Kilrymont School was Category B listed by Historic Scotland on 27th July 2007. There was a consultation period between March and June 2007 when the owner, the relevant local authority (in this case, the owner is the local authority, Fife Council) and an independent third party had the opportunity to object to this listing. No objection was made.

Unfortunately, this listing puts certain restrictions on the redevelopment of the site. It prevents demolition, unless in exceptional circumstances, and severely restricts the scope available for redevelopment. These preclusions could negatively affect resale potential and increase the possible redevelopment costs.

It is unclear at the moment why Fife Council did not object to the listing of this school. I understand that the sale of the Kilrymont site is being considered to help raise capital for new school buildings. Why Fife Council allowed the listing to go ahead without objection is therefore baffling. Surely, it would have been better management to delay the listing until the Education and Children’s Services Committee had agreed on how to solve the school estate issues of Madras College?

Lisa