Work to build an £11million primary school to ease overcrowding could finally get started next year.
Markethill Primary in Turriff is already over capacity, and earlier this year councillors were forced to cap the school roll to stop it spiralling further out of control.
Yesterday the council’s education committee backed plans to close the school, and build a larger replacement with space for an initial 505 pupils.
Council officers told the committee that tenders for its construction have already been received – meaning the project could finally get underway next year.
The new school on Meadowbank Road is scheduled to open in August 2017.
The local authority’s head of education, Craig Clement, said the move would be for the “educational benefit of the pupils”.
He added: “The school is moving to a new site.
“Tenders have been received for the work and we are looking to have it completed in August 2017.
“The use of the current school site and building what we’d be proposing to do there is to bring back a report in 2016 outlining potential uses for the building.”
Councillor Isobel Davidson said: “I welcome these proposals and the date of completion. We are looking forward to the new school in Turriff.”
The catchment area for Markethill Primary School will not change with new location.