Aberdeen City Council has submitted a detailed planning application to build 369 residential flats at the old location of Summerhill Academy which has lain vacant for four years.

Following the demolition of the school in 2012, supermarket firm Morrisons had been granted planning permission to build a store on the site, but pulled out in 2014 for commercial reasons.

The council’s plans for the development are part of continuing efforts to build 2,030 homes across the city as part of the local authority’s Strategic Infrastructure Plan.

It will consist of a mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats to rent for those on lower income, with parking spaces for 296 cars earmarked.

In the proposal’s planning statement, architectural firm Norr Consultants said the need for lower rents had happened partly as a result of the downturn in the oil and gas industry.

The report stated: “Currently the economy in Aberdeen has been feeling the effects of the sharp and prolonged fall in the price of oil since the 2014 peak.

“This has resulted in a reduction in rents and house prices. However, the cost of housing in Aberdeen remains high and unaffordable to large numbers of people.

“It is important to continue with these projects to ensure a stable housing market for the future that can respond to the needs of the economy.”

If approved at committee, work could begin as soon as this autumn, and it has been estimated that the new project could welcome its first residents by 2019.