Moray Council has approved plans for a new primary school in Elgin to prevent an overcrowding catastrophe that could lead to pupils being bussed out of town to attend lessons.
The new building will be created in the south-east of Elgin, and the local authority hopes it will be open in time for 2018.
While work on the new development is carried out, steps will be taken to alleviate classroom capacity problems by creating makeshift classrooms at East End Primary School.
Relocating the town’s heritage centre from the primary to Elgin Library will free up enough space for three new classrooms in the building.
The council’s corporate director of education and social care services, Laurence Findlay, said this was the “most advantageous” option open to officers in the meantime.
He said: “This way, a head teacher and staff can be put in place while the new school is being built, and a curriculum can be developed.”
However, Elgin City North councillor Kirsty Reid voiced fears that officers only had one realistic solution to the capacity issues.
She said: “I do see the need for the new school given the situation we are in.
“But I’m a bit concerned about the lack of options we are faced with, and the lack of contingency plans if the new school isn’t ready by 2018.”
Mrs Reid said that if the building failed to open on time, children “could be dispersed across Elgin” to attend classes.
Head of lifelong learning, culture and sport, Graham Jarvis said that “no assurances” could be made on the completion of the new school.
But he said the local authority would “do its utmost” to ensure it was delivered to schedule.
Plans for the new school, and interim proposals to occupy rooms at East End, will go out for public consultation on Monday.
During yesterday’s meeting of the council’s children and young people’s services committee, members also agreed to progress plans for an extensive rezoning of Moray’s secondary schools.
The move follows similar fears that the region’s growing population could cause secondary classrooms to overflow unless remedial measures are taken.
The rezoning exercise will be the first of its kind carried out by Moray Council since the late 1970s, and was described by Mr Jarvis as “long overdue”.