THE fire-hit former Howford Primary School site is set to be sold to private healthcare provider BMI.

Glasgow councillors are being asked to approve the start of negotiations for part of the land – where the old janitor’s house was situated.

The larger portion of the Crookston Road site is already in the process of being sold to BMI Healthcare.

That land, which included Howford School, was declared surplus to the council’s requirements in March last year and marketed by City Property. BMI submitted the highest bid.

The company has a hospital, BMI Ross Hall, on Crookston Road.

The school closed in 2017 and an emergency demolition was carried out following a fire, in August 2018, when a 13-year-old girl was charged with wilful fireraising.

When the majority of the site was marketed, the janitor’s house was still occupied and could not be included in the sale boundary.

The janitor has now been rehoused and the house was demolished, following another fire in October last year. Now, the council plans to sell the remaining land.

“BMI Healthcare Ltd, who are currently in the process of acquiring the [other] site has expressed an interest in the subject land,” a council report states.

“The acquisition of the land would benefit BMI as it would give them full control of both sites and a large developable area which would allow for improved access and amenity space.”

The site is bound by the White Cart Water to the north and Crookston Road to the south and west.

The sale of the smaller site will be conditional on the sale of the adjoining site, which is expected to settle with the 2021/22 financial year.

Councillors on the city’s contracts and property committee will meet on Thursday to decide on the proposal.

Terms of the deal would come to the committee for final approval once they have been agreed.

BMI Healthcare, founded in 1970, has more than 50 private hospitals across the UK.

The council report adds: “If authority to negotiate is granted, City Property will ensure that the council’s interests are protected by applying overage and clawback provisions, similar to those negotiated for the adjoining site.”