Wyndham councillor and businessman Intaj Khan has sold the site of the failed Mowbray College at Caroline Springs for $12 million – a $6 million profit on the price he paid in 2012.
Australian International Academy, an Islamic school with six campuses in Melbourne, Sydney and Abu Dhabi, bought the site at 183 Caroline Springs Boulevard, settling the purchase last month.
AIA opened a Caroline Springs campus at Stevenson Crescent in 2014, but Star Weekly understands the site was much smaller than the former Mowbray College site.
Cr Khan said he is pleased the property would remain as a school, after his plans to open a grammar school at the site were shelved because of low enrolments.
“There were interests from various organisations, from developers as well as from the health sector, to purchase the site,” he said.
“But as promised, I wanted to make sure this site remains an educational facility, and we would not be handing it over to builders.
“We thought the Mowbray site would be ideal for the AIA – they already have schools running, so they’ve been in the industry for quite some time.”
Cr Khan bought the 12,500 square metre site in 2012 after Mowbray College was placed into receivership with debts of about $28 million.
The site still contains the college’s buildings, including classroom, staffrooms, a canteen, library and offices.
Cr Khan said the site had been predominantly vacant since he took ownership after several failed attempts to open a school.
It’s not yet understood if AIA will start offering classes at the new campus for first term, but Cr Khan said he believed the school would be up and running by second term.
An education department spokesman said the department wouldn’t be making a comment about the sale as it was between two independent schools.
