New Elgin school delayed by up to five years

By Garrett Stell

January 30 2023, 5:00 pm

Fresh delays triggered by rising costs and decreased demand for primary placements has put Findrassie Primary School on hold.

The new Findrassie Primary School in Elgin is to be significantly delayed. Moray Council has officially deferred the final design and construction phases of the project by up to five years.

The council said there were two reasons for the deferral: The project doesn’t make financial sense and the expected student population around Elgin has decreased.

Moray Council originally agreed to the 450-pupil primary school north of Elgin in 2020. The school had an expected opening date of 2025.

According to a council spokeswoman, the council will review this deferral decision every year. But for now, there is no timeline for building a new school in the area.

Deferral came as no surprise

The new Findrassie Primary School project was on the agenda at consecutive education, children’s and leisure services committees in December and January.

Last month, the item caused controversy among councillors. There was only one paragraph dedicated to stopping design work at Findrassie. Agenda papers went on for 444 pages.

And the papers themselves were published a day late, with local councillors saying they were left in the dark on an issue that could have a substantial impact on the community.

The new Findrassie Primary is tied to a 500-home development in the north of Elgin. The initial plan for the school includes a nursery and an additional support needs unit.

But those plans are now left in limbo. The council said there is no longer a timeline for delivering the project.

Findrassie Primary not ‘best value’ for Elgin

Chairwoman of the education, children’s and leisure services committee, Kathleen Robertson, said that Findrassie School doesn’t represent “best value” for the council.

“Given the decrease in projected pupil numbers and global supply chain challenges impacting on the affordability and delivery of Findrassie Primary School, now is not the time to proceed with the project.”

In a private session at last week’s education committee meeting, councillors learned about new roadblocks for Findrassie.

A council spokeswoman said that increased borrowing costs and construction price hikes are standing in the way. In addition, the council reported there won’t be a need for as many primary school places in the Elgin Academy region over the next seven years.