Monifieth will get its new showpiece secondary school campus after councillors unanimously backed the project in the face of spiralling costs.
And Angus Council’s finance chief gave an assurance the £66.5 million Monifieth High scheme is “affordable, prudent and sustainable”.
Ian Lorimer also said he does not expect any further major financial shocks after seeing the plan jump £15m in the three years since it was first approved.
Policy and resources committee councillors were united in their support for the scheme at a meeting on Tuesday.
They considered a report setting out the latest increased costs for the learning campus.
A range of factors have been blamed.
Those include Brexit’s effect on imports, supply issues resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and post-Covid effects on material costs and availability.
The 1,200-pupil secondary school on a learning campus featuring a swimming pool and community pitches was approved in 2020.
Planning councillors approved the detailed designs last month.
Will costs for new Monifieth high school increase again?
Mr Lorimer and education director Kelly McIntosh were quizzed on the prospect of a further hike in the final bill.
They said the authority is confident it can bring the project in on the agreed budget.
But there is a question mark over the cost of tackling unidentified asbestos in the current high school.
Ms McIntosh said: “The risk has been bought out.
“The only additional cost would be if we were to make additional changes to the design.”
She added: “There is an element of risk if high levels of asbestos are found, but we have done everything we can so far to mitigate that level of risk.”
Mr Lorimer stressed the level of borrowing for the project was exactly what councillors agreed when the authority’s budget was set in February.
But it still leaves the council with a £10m funding gap for the project.
“It’s a significant financial commitment, but the manner in which we plan to fund it is affordable, prudent and sustainable.”
The council expects to complete financial closure on the project within the next fortnight.
It will allow work to start in June on the two-year build of the new secondary.
Praise for officials
SNP councillor Lynne Devine said: “The funding gap is of course concerning.
“But it could have been so much worse.
“I can’t express enough our gratitude for the extraordinary work that’s been done to keep costs down under so much pressure.
“I doubt if any of us want to go down the road of stopping this project.”
Conversation