An ambitious £60million scheme to build two new high schools in Argyll has taken a major step forward.
Argyll and Bute Council signed a contract with hubNorth to build the schools at Oban and Campbeltown.
The new Oban High School will have an increased capacity of 1300 to allow for a growing number of pupils, based on school roll forecasts and local development plan actions.
The building will be constructed on the grass rugby pitch at the current school site, with the 3G pitch remaining in use throughout. The school will function as normal during the work.
It is expected that the work will be completed in the spring of 2018, with the external works following.
Douglas Hendry, the council’s executive director for customer services, who signed the contract on behalf of the council, said: “Obviously we are very pleased to have reached this key stage in our new schools programme. The initiative is based on building high quality schools which will best serve our communities, delivering the Curriculum for Excellence and providing facilities for community use.
“The council is committed to building new, modern schools which will ensure a positive learning environment for our pupils.
“We are delighted to be moving into the construction phase, which will see the new secondary schools in Campbeltown and Oban completed by the spring of 2018.”
Cleland Sneddon, executive director for community services, the department responsible for education, said: ”Everyone involved in educating and supporting our young people is committed to realising the council’s ambition to make Argyll and Bute a place people choose to live, learn, work and do business.
“These new schools will help to equip our children for the future; providing them with fabulous facilities in which they can learn and succeed, be ambitious and realise their full potential.”
The total capital cost of the two new schools is around £56million. The council is paying for the project using revenue funding, with additional money from the Scottish Government.
The schools are being delivered in partnership with hubNorth Scotland Ltd and the Scottish Futures Trust through the Scottish Government’s Schools for the Future Programme.
Angus Macfarlane, chief executive of hub North Scotland, said: “Reaching financial close on both projects is a vital milestone in that it paves the way for construction on both to begin in earnest; I’m sure it will be warmly welcomed by all key stakeholders across the Oban and Campbeltown developments.
