A new Monifieth High School WILL be built after councillors voted to continue with the project.
Angus Council’s policy and resources committee today agreed to increase the budget for the replacement school, meaning the project can move to the next phase.
It was revealed last week the cost of the project had soared beyond its original budget, resulting in councillors having to decide between continuing with new school or refurbishing the existing building.
What options were on the table?
Angus Council had previously approved the creation of a new £50 million learning campus to replace the current ageing building.
However, a recent feasibility study estimated the total cost of the project could be £61m.
As a result of the increasing costs councillors were presented with two options. These were:
- increase the budget for the project and continue to the next stage as previously agreed
- abandon the new build project and pursue a phased programme of
refurbishment works to the existing school
Addressing the committee on Tuesday afternoon, Ian Lorimer, director of finance at Angus Council, admitted there was “great strain” on the council’s finances and building a new school would be a “significant investment”.
Consequently, he said, this meant there were only two options available to council. However, the project would still be “affordable” if changes to the budget were made.
Concerns over refurbishment
Concerns were raised about the possible disruption to pupils if the existing school were to be refurbished, with many having to be taught elsewhere whilst work was undertaken.
The financial implications of the refurbishing the current building – which first opened in 1979 – were also questioned and one senior architect outlined that other local authorities have found refurbishment costs to be similar to building a new school.
Can costs be kept down?
The contractor and the council’s team involved in the project have identified potential costs savings ranging from £3m to £5m. These include:
- rationalisation of accommodation required
- alternative construction methods/material choice
- rationalisation of site setup and use of on-site materials
Taking into account these savings, the cost of the project is now expected to increase by £6m to £56m.
What did the councillors say?
Voting to continue with the plans for a new Monifieth High, Arbroath East and Lunan councillor Brenda Durno said: “This should go ahead because why not?
“This school is needed and it’s needed now, the children of this area deserve better.”
Councillor Ross Greig, who represents the Forfar and District ward, also backed plans for the new school, adding: “I believe the refurbishments would effectively be nothing more than a sticking plaster to try and fix problems.
“This is a long term future for up to 60,000 pupils over the next fifty, sixty years, so this is by far the best option available.”
“This school is needed and it’s needed now”
Councillor Brenda Durno
Councillor Beth Whiteside, leader of Angus Council said: “This has not been an easy decision today. It is apparent to all that the campus is designed to a high specification and its delivery will come at the expense of other worthy capital projects.
“However, we made a commitment in our election promises that as a group, we would be ambitious for Angus.
“We would not be fulfilling those promises if we were to downgrade the project and, more important still, we wouldn’t be providing the best that we possibly can for our young people.They are our future.”
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