Plans for a new school in Elgin move forward
The proposed construction of a new high school in Elgin is set to begin after financial close was reached for the facility.
The proposed construction of a new high school in Elgin is set to begin after financial close was reached for the facility.
The new school, which will cater for 800 pupils from a mix of town and rural catchment areas, will be delivered by hub North Scotland after it was appointed as development partner by The Moray Council.
Balfour Beatty has been appointed as the project’s main contractor.
Financial close is a vital milestone which marks the stage at which all financing agreements have been signed.
Replacing the existing school on the northern section of the same site, the new school, alongside its educational element, will also have an important role as a community facility with a separate sports provision set to be available for use by the wider public.
The first phase of the project is planned to be completed by October 2017 which will include the creation of the new school and sports block complex.
Phases two and three are set to be finished by June 2018.
Angus Macfarlane, chief executive of hub North Scotland, said: “Financial close is a vital milestone for the construction of the new Elgin High School and one that I am sure is welcomed by all involved parties as well as the project’s most important stakeholders; the pupils themselves.
“hub North Scotland is delighted to have been appointed development partner for the project and we are focussed on a delivering a first-class facility on behalf of The Moray Council. We believe that this school will, on completion, be of great benefit to those within the region and will be enjoyed by the people of Moray for many years to come.”
Cllr Anne Skene, Chair of Moray Council’s Children and Young People’s Services committee, said everyone will be glad to get started on the school.
“There’s been a few false dawns but I’m glad we are finally at the starting line,” she said.
“I’m sure I speak for everyone – staff, parents and pupils – when I express our thanks to everyone who have worked so persistently hard to get to this point. In particular the head teacher of Elgin High, Andy Simpson, for keeping parents so well informed of developments all the way through.”
George Hood, Balfour Beatty managing director north Scotland, said: “We are pleased to have worked in very close collaboration with hub North Scotland and The Moray Council to bring this project to fruition. We will start construction work now in earnest by bringing our expert delivery team across from RAF Lossiemouth where they have consistently delivered to time, budget and quality.”
David MacDonald, hub programme director at Scottish Futures Trust, explained: “The hub programme is an innovative approach to develop and deliver best-value community facilities which provides public bodies with a quick, efficient and value for money way of getting their projects into construction and helps secure and sustain local employment.
“I’m naturally delighted that construction of Elgin High School will start very soon and I look forward to seeing pupils and the community benefit from it when it opens.”