Councillors are to decide whether to approve plans to build Dundee’s biggest primary school in Whitfield at a meeting next week.
Plans have been submitted to the development management committee for a new school which would replace three current primary schools and a nursery in the north east of the city.
Planning permission is being sought for the construction of a new school and nursery to replace Longhaugh Primary School, St Luke’s and St Matthew’s RC Primary School, St Vincent’s RC Primary School and Longhaugh Nursery School.
Councillors will meet on February 20 to discuss whether to give the go-ahead to the proposals, which have been recommended for approval — subject to conditions — by council officers.
The new three-floor building would provide space for 868 primary school pupils and 125 full-time equivalent nursery pupils.
The school’s designers — Holmes Miller — have said the external walls would be finished with grey brick, with aluminium cladding panels and a standing-seam aluminium roof.
There are also plans to construct two playing fields, a multi-use games area, a nursery play area and an outdoor seating area in the grounds.
Planners hope to build the school on a site on the north side of Lothian Crescent, close to the Whitfield Community Centre.
Nearby residential properties on Salton Crescent, Castlecary Crescent and Dargavel Gardens would border the school, and the entrance gates would be directly from Lothian Crescent.
Councillors will hear that the proposals are contrary to the city’s development plan, due to it being built on a “brownfield” site allocated for housing.
Policy 8 of Dundee City Council’s development plan gives priority to house-building on “brownfield” and “greenfield” sites, over other types of building.
The council maintains, however, that due to the closure of two existing schools — St Luke’s and St Matthew’s RC and Longhaugh Primary School — the land becomes “surplus” to educational needs, meaning the sites of these former schools could be developed for housing.
This, according to the council report, would “more than compensate” for the loss of allocated land for housing.
