Inverness Royal Academy in line for SSF3 funding

A £37.375 million replacement school for Inverness Royal Academy (IRA) is The Highland Council’s preferred project option in its bid for the Scottish Government, Scotland’s Schools for the Future phase 3 (SSF3) funding.

Members of the Council’s Adult and Children’s Services Committee considered 5 project options for the Highlands funding bid including the replacement of Inverness Royal Academy. The 4 other projects considered were:

A report to members explained that: “…there is a clear and present pressure on the south side of Inverness, mostly within the IRA catchment area. This together with the poor condition of the IRA has led to the identification of a replacement for the IRA as a priority project”.

Welcoming the choice of a new IRA as preferred funding bid, Chairman of the Council’s Adult and Children’s Services Committee, Councillor Alasdair Christie said: “A new school for Inverness Royal Academy is a much needed facility for pupils and the community of this part of Inverness. Not only will a new school allow us to provide state of the art educational facilities but also meet equalities legislation and provide and energy efficient sustainable facility for the future. It is also good news for the construction industry in these challenging times.”

The Highland Council’s contribution to the new school would be a mixture of capital (£17.41million) and revenue funding with a potential SSF3 contribution of £16.02million from the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government will decide by the end of September 2012 whether the Council’s bid for a replacement Inverness Royal Academy has been successful for the SSF3 funding.

The Easter Ross schools development projects will be progress through the council’s
Sustainable Schools Estate Review framework with recommendations for statutory consultations to be submitted back to the Adult and Children’s Services Committee in Autumn 2012.