'Our ambition from the outset of this project has been to deliver a world-class educational facility'
SBC publishes updated plans for new £50m high school in Peebles
Last updated 27th Apr 2023
Construction of the new main building at Peebles High School is set to get underway later this year.
Scottish Borders Council has published its updated plans online after parents raised concerns around the original design.
The new £50.4 million development includes less open plan classrooms and a bigger assembly hall, although this has resulted in the loss of "some social space and storage".
The updated plans read: "The original assembly space was designed for 260 people - the largest single year group - and was to be used as a second drama space when not being used for assembly.
"Recognising the strength of feedback from the community, a dedicated double height assembly space has been incorporated into the design.
"The dedicated assembly space is fully enclosed and will accommodate 340 people. This change has resulted in the loss of some social space and storage space."
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Earlier this year, we reported the number of open plan classrooms have also been reduced from 58 per cent to 27 per cent.
Enabling works are already underway on site with the steel frame and roof for the extension to the sports pavilion already up, and work continuing on the installation of a new 3G pitch.
The local authority revealed wet and wintry weather has had an impact on progress, however it hopes they will be completed by the start of the new school year in August.
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Councillor Leagh Douglas, SBC's Executive Member for Education & Lifelong Learning, said: “Our ambition from the outset of this project has been to deliver a world-class educational facility that will meet the needs of all pupils and provide them with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed for modern life.
“After carefully listening to the feedback received through the various engagement sessions held in February we have been able to address some of the concerns from within the community regarding the new school through further design changes.
“The updated designs are now available to view on our website and I would encourage anyone from the Peebles community to take a look at the changes that have been made.
“This now concludes the design phase of the project and allows us to progress towards starting construction on the main building later this year.”
Updated floor plan designs for the new Peebles High School building are now available to view online at www.scotborders.gov.uk/peebleshighschoolnewbuild