Walsall school once used as drugs factory up for auction for £1.3 million

The Edwardian building features at Bond Wolfe’s next online sale on December 14.

It has a guide price of £1.275m and was previously used as an Islamic boys’ school.

The 1.33-acre site in Kent Street is said to offer redevelopment potential for a wide variety of uses, including residential.

The Former Abu Bakr School has been empty since the school closed during the Covid pandemic and then moved to new premises in Queen Mary Street.

The property was previously part of the North Walsall Junior and Infants School, built in 1904.

Part of the site was used as a secondary modern until the mid-1960s, while the infants school moved to new premises in 1985 and the junior school had moved out by 2002.

Ian Tudor, joint managing director auctions at Bond Wolfe, said: “The site sits in a well-established residential area making it a prime opportunity for a developer able to secure the appropriate planning permission.

“It has a long history as a school site, hence the current layout over a level and regular-shaped plot of land on the corner of Kent Street and Derby Street.

“The main building is single storey and of traditional brick construction with a range of pitched tiled roofs and part flat roof.

“It is currently configured to provide a main entrance and reception area, hallway, office, toilets, a main assembly hall, eight classrooms, various staff rooms, first aid room, stationery stores, dining room, former tuck shop and ancillary stores.

“The existing accommodation is in need of repair and refurbishment throughout.

“There is a separate single storey temporary accommodation block with a main entrance, school office and eight further classrooms, and externally there is a generous surfaced playground and car parking areas.”

Mr Tudor added: “Sites such as this, offering excellent opportunities for developers and investors alike, are part of the strong attraction of our regular livestreamed auctions to bidders from across the UK and overseas, and I predict highly competitive bidding for this particular lot.”

The cannabis farm was discovered by police in the boarded up school in June, It contained 711 plants.