A major redevelopment of an Inverness high school will be considered by Highland councillors next week.
Charleston Academy is in line for a major overhaul that will eventually result in the replacement of all of its existing buildings.
The masterplan also involves building a new nursery and the demolition and relocation of nearby Kinmylies Primary School.
The council itself is behind the new application for planning permission in principle.
Its planners have recommended that members of the south planning applications committee approve it at a meeting on Tuesday.
But even if it wins the backing of councillors, it doesn’t necessarily mean the work will be finished anytime soon.
What happens next for Charleston Academy?
The difficulty comes down to finance.
Last September, Highland Council drastically slashed its capital plan amid continuing budget woes.
That resulted in the £14.5m being set aside for the next phase of the rebuild project being scaled down to just £1.5m.
Without that extra cash, the timeline for the whole project remains up in the air.
The school opened in 1978.
In a report that will be considered by councillors next week, principal planner Keith Gibson said: “The buildings are now nearing the end of their useful lives and have limitations for delivering a modern curriculum.
“In addition, the campus now needs to accommodate increased nursery capacity and it is therefore necessary to put in place a masterplan to allow the phased development of the site.”
The approval of planning permission in principle wouldn’t allow the council to begin work yet in any case.
There would still need to be a full planning application submitted before then.
Charleston Academy has had its problems in recent years
Senior pupils and the parent council at Charleston teamed up in late 2021 to produce a video highlighting the school’s poor infrastructure.
In the clip they highlighted the “outdated and unusable facilities, including leaking roofs, cramped spaces, poor lighting and non-functioning equipment”.
Its publication came on the back of the school being closed because of a burst pipe.
Last June, the school closed for the summer holidays earlier than planned because of a red mite infestation.
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