Pitlochry parents are raising the alarm over plans to turn the town’s high school into a new community campus.
Perth and Kinross Council is considering closing the Atholl Leisure Centre and Pitlochry library and moving those services into the high school.
Council bosses say the three sites are underused at present and the move could help safeguard the community facilities and the school.
But critics say it’s not the proposal that was sold to them when they were consulted on the town’s future prospects.
Mum Fiona Rollo says she and other parents were initially excited by the prospect of a community campus.
They hoped Pitlochry might finally be in line for modern facilities in an all-new building.
She says there was shock and anger when residents learned of the plan to shift the existing services into the existing school.
And Fiona says many believe the current proposal will amount to “the worst of all worlds”.
“We – both town and school – will be left without leisure facilities for around three years during the refit,” she said.
“And once the new leisure facilities are open, the school and the community will be competing for the use of this space.”
Pitlochry High School and leisure centre have both faced closure
The council hopes to free up space for housing in Pitlochry by axing the disused buildings.
It has also pointed out that the Atholl Leisure Centre was only saved from closure last year when an additional 12 months’ funding was made available to allow the current review to be carried out.
Fiona says the uncertainty has also brought back fears for the future of Pitlochry High School.
It was saved from closure in 2019, following a hard-fought campaign by parents.
Local councillor, and Perth and Kinross Provost Xander McDade held talks with campaigners following a protest outside the school.
Fiona says the intervention had gone some way to allay concerns.
But she added: “We are going to be watching very closely.
“We understand better what the council are trying to do. But this can’t be about a loss of facilities. Any change has to be in the community’s interest.”
Council ‘committed to working with Pitlochry residents’
Perth and Kinross Council says no decisions have been made yet.
And it insists it listened to the community before drawing up the proposal.
A spokesperson said residents had spoken repeatedly, and over several years, about their priorities for the town.
These are good quality affordable housing, better use of council buildings and facilities, and continued access to leisure and library spaces for the school and wider community.
“Creating a community campus would allow us to utilise spare capacity in Pitlochry High School, while continuing to provide pupils the learning space they require,” the spokesperson said.
“This includes the potential to increase the number of days that library facilities are open to the public, from the current 1.5 days a week. And, to cement the viability of leisure facilities.”
The spokesperson added: “We remain committed to working with local communities as these proposals are developed and to ensuring that a phased approach is taken to implementing the final decisions to minimise disruption to the availability of local services during this time.”
Conversation