Major investment in Highland schools

An update on major building projects being undertaken by The Highland Council’s Education Culture and Sport Committee has been welcomed by councillors. They were told:

Work on a new primary school to serve Milton of Leys, Inverness, is due to start later this year.  The 11-classroom school, with child care and community facilities, is estimated to cost £9.35 million.  It is scheduled to open in August 2011.

At Aviemore, the design of a new primary school, with community facilities, is nearing completion. The estimated cost is £11.545 million. 

At Conon Bridge, detailed planning permission will be sought in May for a new primary school to replace the existing schools at Conon Bridge and Maryburgh.

At Lochaline, Ardnamurchan, a new primary school is planned on a site, which will also incorporate a new fire station. 

At Portree and Fort William, preliminary work is also to get under way via an option appraisal exercise to identify sites for stand alone Gaelic medium primary schools.

Members were also told that the £4 million Mallaig High School hostel had opened on 1 March to its first 12 residents.  It has a capacity to house 30.

A third contract to refurbish Lochaber High School had been awarded bringing the spending at the school to £15.1 million.  A temporary gymnasium at Lochaber High would be transferred to the Black Isle Education Centre at a cost of £133,000.

At Wick High School, a cost benefit analysis exercise is to be carried out to help identify the best option for replacing or upgrading the school.

The options are to build a new school on the existing site with limited community facilities; a new school on a different site with limited community facilities; and a new school on a different site with extended community facilities to replace existing community facilities such as the swimming pool, library and Wick Assembly Rooms.

The committee also agreed to purchase four new mobile libraries at a cost of £432,000.

Committee chairman Councillor Bill Fernie said: “I am delighted that we have works planned throughout the Highlands to bring our schools up to 21st century standards. This is good news for many of our communities.”

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