The Buchan School site was sold to developer Hartford Homes for £6m, documents lodged with the Land Registry show.

King Williams’s College announced in January last year that it had entered into agreement for the sale of The Buchan School’s Westhill site in Castletown.

The sale marked a significant step in the school’s campus consolidation project, which saw the school move to the King William’s College campus in the autumn of last year.

Documents registered at the Land Registry show that the transfer of land at the Buchan School to Hartford Homes was completed on January 9 this year for a consideration of £6m.

Latest available accounts for the college showed that Harford paid an initial deposit of £500,000 with the remainder to be paid in instalments and a final deferred payment to be made in January 2029.

The 5.18 hectare former school campus includes nursery and primary school buildings, extensive parking and other hardstanding areas, alongside playing fields and an area of registered woodland.

Hartford Homes has submitted a planning application to build a total of 85 homes on the Westhill site (26/00122/B).

The proposed development will include 21 affordable homes and the woodland area will be retained as part of a proposed public open space.

Hartford Homes said its plans ‘represent an opportunity to redevelop a vacant brownfield site within Castletown’s settlement boundary.’

Its planning statement says the project could help fund further improvements at King William’s College.

‘The sale of the Westhill site for redevelopment is an important catalyst for enabling phase one of the campus consolidation project,’ it states.

‘However, there is a desire for future phases of improvements on the combined site which will need to be formalised through future planning applications.

‘Projects under consideration include new or improved sports halls and other facilities to help the school grow, compete and become more sustainable.

‘Effectively, the sale of the Westhill site will lead to several phases of work that will ultimately complement and grow the offerings from the combined whole school.’

Relocation of The Buchan School to the KWC campus was first proposed in January 2024 with the aim of helping ensure future financial stability.

At the time principal of King William’s College Damian Henderson acknowledged its financial position was ‘delicate’.

An independent auditor’s report concluded that ‘material uncertainties’ cast ‘significant doubt’ on the group and parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

There was criticism when the private school secured a £2.2m grant under the Department for Enterprise’s financial assistance scheme to support the campus consolidation project.

Campus improvements have included the opening of a new Fourth Form Centre, upgrades to boys’ boarding accommodation and the relocation of classrooms.

The Buchan School reopened on the King William’s College campus after the autumn half-term in 2025.

Buchan School opened in 1878 as Castletown High School for Girls as a sister school to King William’s College. It was renamed The Buchan School in 1928.

The Buchan School formally joined King William’s College in 1991, becoming its co-educational preparatory school.