A UK private school has gone up for sale ahead of moving to a new site.
Estate agents have said The Downs school in Colwall, which sits in more than 14 acres of land, is an “exciting opportunity” for an occupier, developer or investor.
Last year, the independent school for children aged six months to 13 years old, announced it would be moving to the site of its secondary school Malvern College in Great Malvern in September 2027.
Headmaster Andy Nuttall said the move was to protect the future of the school as it faced “headwinds”, including the cost of living, national insurance increases and the introduction of VAT on school fees.
“We’re looking at how we can mitigate those headwinds and look to the future to maintain this amazing education for the children,” he told the Gazette last year.
READ MORE: Independent school announces move to ‘protect its future’
The freehold of the school site on Brockhill Road has now been listed for sale by Savills, with an asking price that is only available on application.
The sale will include classrooms, the sports hall, boarding facilities, headmaster’s house and Downsland Cottage, as well as two tennis courts, an artificial turf pitch and playing fields.
SALE: The Downs is moving to the site of Malvern College (Image: Savills)
The engines and railway track from The Downs Light Railway, the world’s oldest private miniature railway, will not be included in the sale, but the engine sheds and the layout of the track will remain on the site.
Any plans for what will happen to the track and engines has not been confirmed.
Olivia Haslam, development director at Savills, said: “The Downs Malvern represents an exciting opportunity to acquire a substantial and well-established educational estate in a highly attractive setting.
“With extensive buildings and grounds, excellent connectivity and scope for continued education use or alternative uses subject to planning, it offers purchasers the chance to shape the ongoing legacy of this historic property.”