A former primary school set to become a residential development has been sold to a government agency.

Halfway Houses in Southdown Road, Halfway, is now being taken on by Homes England, it’s been revealed.

Estate agent Stiles Harold Williams (SHW) has completed the sale on behalf of Kent County Council (KCC).

The site, located one mile from Sheerness town centre, has been purchased by the agency which aims to obtain planning permission for a “residential-led redevelopment”.

It has been allocated for 60 dwellings as part of the Local Plan which was adopted in July 2017 by Swale council.

However, according to the authority’s online portal, no planning applications have been submitted.

The 100-year-old building closed in October 2016 when the school’s 500 pupils relocated to a newly built facility in nearby Danley Road.

Calls for the building and facility to be retained in order to meet the Island’s growing need for places were voiced in November 2023, when permission was granted by the Secretary of State to sell the land.

At the time Cllr Andy Booth (Con) believed with large developments in the pipeline near there would soon be a need for a new primary school.

He said: “The infrastructure on the Island is adequate for now but I would object to any planning application on the Halfway Houses site.

“Halfway Houses is fit for purpose as a school and is worth more as a place of education than houses. There is a desperate need for education places locally."

Cllr Mike Whiting raised concerns about the extra traffic from any future housing redevelopment and suggested the site might be suitable for sheltered accommodation.

KCC said the site was already allocated within the adopted Local Plan for housing.

Previous council documents stated: “The site has now been declared surplus and is capable of being progressed as a disposal – no other KCC service requirements have been identified for the site.”

SHW looked for offers on both an unconditional and subject to planning basis.

The estate agent says it cannot disclose the price agreed for the sale at this time.

David Marcelline, a partner at the firm, said: “In a challenging market environment, not only have we achieved a price in line with our guidance, but we have also done so on an unconditional basis, thus removing delay and uncertainty for our client.”

Paul Dawson, assistant director of acquisitions and partnering at Homes England, added: “The agency is pleased to be working in partnership with SHW and KCC to enable the delivery of a development that meets the needs of the local community.

“This sale marks a significant milestone for the scheme and is an excellent example of how Homes England supports partners to make delivery happen.”

The former school building comes with 3.76 acres of playing fields.