What now for Aberdeenshire school replacement projects?
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Projects for new schools in Fraserburgh and Stonehaven are amongst those that have missed out on vital Scottish Government funding in a decision described as a “hammer blow” to both towns.
Aberdeenshire Council’s bid to create new state-of-the-art primary schools next to Fraserburgh Academy and Mackie Academy were overlooked in favour of 10 other projects across Scotland in the latest round of funding from the SNP Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme.
Doubt has now been cast over the financial future of the projects following the decision, which resulted in eight other local authorities missing out on funding.
A new campus is proposed for Fraserburgh to replace Fraserburgh North School and St Andrew’s School. The new building is planned to have capacity for 450 pupils and is expected to be completed by February 2026
In Stonehaven, a bid was lodged to help with a new school to replace Dunnottar School and Carronhill School at Ury playing fields. The schools would have capacity for 217 pupils at Dunnottar School and 48 for Carronhill School, each with their own accommodation and with access to shared facilities, as part of a campus approach.
Councils had been waiting for almost a year for SNP ministers to announce the successful bidders, with the decision repeatedly delayed.
The successful projects are-
Hazlehead Academy (Aberdeen City); Mull Campus (Argyll and Bute); Lochies ASN School (Clackmannanshire); Lenzie Academy (East Dunbartonshire); Carrongrange ASN School Extension (Falkirk); Forres Academy (Moray); Chryston High School Extension (North Lanarkshire); Kirkwall ASN Centre (Orkney); Brae Campus (Shetland) and Riverside and Letham Primary School (West Lothian).
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “I am determined to deliver excellence and equity across Scotland’s schools, and ensuring that pupils are educated in modern, state of the art facilities is an important part of that.
“This latest phase of the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme will continue to support local authorities to deliver improvements in our school estate, and ensures continued progress in ASN provision in particular.
"This latest round of investment means that every Scottish local authority which submitted a bid has now received funding for a project in Phases 1, 2 or 3 the Learning Estate Investment programme."
Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary Liam Kerr, who is writing to the Scottish Government over the decision, said: “This shameful decision is a hammer blow to Aberdeenshire Council and the people of Fraserburgh and Stonehaven who desperately need these new campuses to be built.
“At a time when the council is already facing massive cuts to its budget, they were counting on these funding bids being granted to make these projects a reality.
“I will now be writing to the Scottish Government to ask why these bids were overlooked and if we can expect them to be successful in future rounds of funding.”
Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid said: “I join the people of Fraserburgh in their disappointment at the SNP Government’s decision to overlook Aberdeenshire Council’s funding bid.
“Currently, the two schools are not fit for purpose and the construction of a new building would make a vital investment to children's education in the town, setting the stage for a brighter future.
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie said: “A new primary school in Stonehaven would be transformational for children, staff and parents in the town.
“Pupils deserve a school which is fit for the 21st century but this announcement is devastating for Stonehaven whose needs have been pushed to the side by the Scottish Government."
