Council buys St Mary's School near Shaftesbury for £10m

A former private school has been bought by Dorset Council for £10m.

The local authority purchased the former St Mary's School site, near Shaftesbury, which closed in July.

The building could be used for a range of community and business uses, the council said.

Dorset Council leader Spencer Flower said: "This is a significant investment and I am pleased that we have been able to secure it for the benefit of our community."

The site, which consists of 165,000 sq ft of accommodation within 55 acres, sold for £10.05m excluding taxes and fees.

Potential uses for the site could include business, provision for children and adults with disabilities, and supported living for care leavers, the council said.

Mr Flower added: "I realise people are asking how can we afford it, but this is a clear example of investing to save in the longer term.

"I don't want to pre-empt any decisions about the site, as we want to work with local people and groups first, but I can say that building a facility like this from scratch would cost considerably more.

"This is a unique opportunity and a very exciting chance to create something new that will greatly benefit our community."

A consultation will start soon to explore a number of uses for the site, the council said.

The site was formerly home to St Mary's School, an independent Catholic boarding and day school, founded in 1945. It taught girls aged nine to 18.

Former pupils included art curator Laura Lopes, daughter of the Duchess of Cornwall.