By Ena Saracevic
A derelict Perth school is now facing demolition following extensive damage after a fire. Balhousie Primary School, on Dunkeld Road, closed in 2023 due to its deteriorating condition. The school, which was established in 1908, suffered from a devastating blaze on Sunday, June 22. An 18-year-old was arrested in connection but later released pending further inquiries. The fire meant that the roof collapsed and the council then appointed an independent structural engineer to undertake an assessment of the building. A police spokesperson has said an investigation into the incident is 鈥渙ngoing鈥. Perth and Kinross Council have announced the derelict school will now face demolition. A council spokesperson said: 鈥淔ollowing the significant fire at the former Balhousie Primary School in the early hours of Sunday, June 22, the council appointed an independent structural engineer to undertake an assessment of the building. 鈥淭his was carried out using specialist access equipment and indicates serious structural concerns and recommends demolition. As a result, a Dangerous Buildings Notice has been issued for the building.鈥 They added that, as owners of the building, they are now required to take action. 鈥淲e understand that this news will be disappointing to everyone who values the building and has fond memories of it, but is an unfortunate result of the scale of the damage from the fire,鈥 the spokesperson added. 鈥淲e will engage with neighbours and the wider community on the next steps and will continue to liaise with Historic Environment Scotland. 鈥淚n the meantime, asbestos monitoring has been installed to the boundaries of the site and to date has been negative for additional airborne particles beyond that normally recorded in the environment.鈥