NEW ideas are being sought for the future of a derelict school in Wrexham after plans to turn it into a medical training facility fell through.

Wrexham Council previously signed heads of terms with international healthcare company Apollo to bring the Groves School back into use.

The firm, which already has a site in Crewe, wanted to convert the boarded-up school on the edge of the town centre into a training base for medical staff.

However, the company pulled out last month after progress stalled because of coronavirus travel restrictions.

Discussions involving the Welsh Government and Welsh NHS to help the scheme move forward were also reported to have been unsuccessful.

The local authority has now said it will remarket the building in a bid to end the long-running uncertainty over the building’s future.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Steve Bayley, the council’s chief officer for housing and economy, said: “The reason the council is disposing of it is because it has no service interest in the use of the building.

“We will put that to the private sector or the third sector to see if it has any ideas.

“Last time, there were a range of interesting ideas and the one members picked was one that would have generated jobs and supported the local health sector.

“That project has actually been replicated in Crewe and is going well, although limited by the issues of immigration and travel at the moment.

“It has already introduced health staff into both the Lancashire and Cheshire health authority areas, so it did work but we have to start again and look at the opportunities going forward.

“In the meantime, our responsibility is to try and maintain the building to make sure that it is wind and watertight until we can find a new owner.”

It’s the second time plans to reuse the building have failed after Coleg Cambria abandoned proposals to turn it into a new campus.

The council previously failed in an attempt to demolish the school after it was listed by the Welsh Government following a community campaign to protect it.

The authority later conducted a feasibility study to look at turning it into a primary school, but the estimated £11.5m refurbishment costs were judged to be too high.

Deputy council leader David A Bithell said the consideration of alternative uses was “a work in progress” following the latest setback.