WILTSHIRE Council has come under fire this week after news that it spends almost £45,000 a year on business rates for an empty former school building in Melksham.

Councillor Terry Chivers, who represents Melksham Without North, discovered the payments after looking into a prospective planning application by Persimmon to build a series of two, three, four and five-bedroom houses on the former George Ward School at Shurnhold.

The school has been closed for a number of years: until last year, it was used by Wiltshire Council for offices, while work was carried out on County Hall. For the last year it has been empty.

Wiltshire Council has a legal agreement with developer Persimmon that if the reserved matters planning application it has pending is granted permission, the sale of the site will go through, hopefully later this year.

Until then, liability for the site and buildings rests with Wiltshire Council.

Cllr Chivers said: “I think most members are unaware that the council even still owns this site, but it has only been sold subject to contract.

“It just makes me wonder just how many more empty buildings we have standing empty in Wiltshire. This is the second one that we know of just in Melksham after it came to light that the council is are still paying rates on the former Canberra youth club in the town.”

It is believed that Persimmon has been in contact with the council, as landowner, seeking permission to erect a "coming soon" sign with details of the development being outlined on their website.

It said the “development will appeal to a wide range of buyers, from families to downsizers.”

The full rateable value of the site is £91,000. A Wiltshire Council spokesman said it is as a local authority, they are able to retain 49 per cent of the business rates paid, so the actual cost is only £44,590.

THe added: “This is an important development site which the council owns. This means we continue to pay business rates.

"However, it’s important that planning issues are properly addressed through the planning process so in the longer term we have an attractive development which meets housing requirements and is an asset to the Melksham community."

“Persimmon, the preferred buyer for the site, has submitted its reserved matters planning application and this is currently going through the planning process.”