UPDATE: Councillors approved selling the former school site to Portland Town Council.

A new community hub could be introduced in a deprived area of Portland as civic chiefs look set to dispose of a former Portland Primary School.

Dorset County Council looks set to sell the former Brackenbury Infants School in Fortuneswell to Portland Town Council after it submitted a bid last year to buy the site off the county council to convert it into a community hub.

The county council put the school up for sale last June after it closed in 2013, when it moved to the newly constructed Chesil Cove School.

In a report set to go to cabinet today, officers say the sale of the school would generate a capital receipt of £100,000 and would therefore allow other sites in their estate to be disposed much easier in the future.

The building was constructed in 1991 with the council claiming that the building was still in relatively good order and has held back from disposing of it for a number of years as a result whilst it ascertained whether there might be any community uses that the building could be put to.

A comprehensive business case was then put forward by Portland Town Council in summer last year and in summary it proposes to create a Community Hub which will provide offices, storage, a hall and car park use for Portland Town Council, an internet café, with assistance, providing computer and scanning facilities, Adult education courses in skills for the workplace (IT, literacy, numeracy etc) and a hall and a studio/classroom for hire to the community and service providers.

The hub would also provide a new larger location for Allsorts Nursery located adjacent to the current site including four large classroom areas, a larger play area as well as access to the hall so that children can participate in shared activities and also enabling Allsorts to expand their provision to include day-care for babies and toddlers and parent and toddler sessions linking with parenting skills activities and courses.

In a statement, the council said: "Overall, whilst there are uncertainties with each possible option, it is considered that financially, there is little financial difference to the County Council between selling the site on the open market and selling at an undervalue to Portland Town Council. It is clear that there would be significant community benefit from the creation of a community hub in the Fortuneswell locality."

The proposal will be debated at the county councils next Cabinet meeting today at County Hall in Dorchester.