S1 Developments had submitted an application for a new student residential development with at the site, with council planners recommending the application be granted, subject to conditions.

The developer said the project will regenerate a site that has lain vacant for over a decade and fallen into a state of disrepair. The sympathetic restoration of the original Category B-listed school building, designed by John Alexander Carfrae, forms an integral part of the proposals, it added.

However, councillors on the Development Management Sub-Committee voted 5-4 to refuse the proposals, citing community concerns and opposition to the development as a prominent reason for their decision.

A spokesperson for S1 Developments commented: “We are clearly disappointed with the result and are considering our options.”