Plans for a new multi-million-pound community campus in Peterhead were unveiled to the public yesterday.
Council officials explained the proposals for the £71 million project at the first public consultation event held last night in the current academy.
An artist’s impression showing the new design was displayed along with examples of other campus sites in Ellon and Inverurie.
The development would hold a new 1, 400 pupil secondary along with the potential for a new primary school for up to 60o children.
It could also hold a nursery and sports facilities.
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Members of the public were last night given the chance to vote on the two preferred options on Prince Street and a plot of land at Kinmundy.
It’s hoped that the council vision for the new school could become a reality by 2025.
Yesterday, local resident Marian King, said that prisoners at HMP Grampian were given better conditions than local school children.
She and her husband Andrew want their young sons to be educated in a building fit for the 21st century.
Mrs King said: “We both support the building of a new school.
“The town is really needing this.
“You can just look at Peterhead Academy and it is in a right state. The new Peterhead prison looks better than this.”
Julie Ramsay is a guidance teacher at the secondary school and feels a move to Kinmundy is the best option for the school’s pupils.
She said: “I just want away from here and I would like to see the building go to Kinmundy Road.
“It is hard to teach here because of the broken windows and heating that doesn’t always work.
“We deserve a new school.”
Councillor Norman Smith, chairman of the Buchan area committee, said they will use feedback from consultation events to help them draw up final proposals.
He hopes a final decision on the new location for the community campus will be made in a matter of months.
Mr Smith said: “This event was held so people could give their opinions and the council will analyse them and feed them into the plan.
“We all want this to happen and we need to get the site identified by the middle of the year.”
The next consultation event takes place at the assembly hall at Peterhead Academy on Wednesday, March, 6 between 4pm and 8pm.
Anyone keen to give their views on the community campus can also contact the council via email on learningestates@aberdeenshire.gov.uk by March 29.
