Angus Councillors have voted in favour of merging two Arbroath primary schools during a heated meeting at Forfar County Buildings.
Members of the education committee voted 12 to six in favour of replacing Timmergreens and Muirfield primaries with a new build school at Hospitalfield House, sited on the Westway.
Before the vote on Thursday, deputations were made by Ewan Smith of Muirfield Action Group and Timmergreens parent Kevin Barthorpe, both of whom urged the elected members to scrap the plans and go back to the consultation phase.
In a passionate plea to the committee, Mr Smith claimed the £8 million earmarked for the development would be better divided between all of Arbroath’s primary schools, some of which, he claimed, were badly in need of repair and new heating.
“This issue doesn’t just affect the children of the Muirfield and Timmergreens area. It is a town-wide issue,” he said.
“People do not want this to happen. They have been put in the position where they have no option and have not had the opportunity to object.”
Mr Smith went on to question whether the new school would have capacity to deal with expansion in population, if the building would be large enough to accommodate existing pupils, how safe children would be crossing the Westway, and if adequate IT facilities would be provided.
Mr Barthorpe queried the council’s claims 90% of parents were in favour of the school and invited education convener Peter Nield to knock on parents’ doors alongside him to establish local opinion.
Following the two presentations, Councillor Nield laid out his belief that the local authority had listened to all concerns from parents during the consultation process.
He said, “Trying to make improvements to the school estate is always the most difficult and sensitive thing a council anywhere will do.
“Angus Alliance at the outset made its commitment to education, social work and roads. We invest heavily in all these sectors and have made massive improvements in them all.”
Mr Nield listed a number of new build school projects that have been completed since the Alliance took over and claimed that “standing still” is “no progress” in terms of education.
He rejected claims that the merger project would leave the financial well dry for further school spending and pointed to over £2 million still available in the budget and an application to the Scottish Futures Trust that could see a further £8 million brought to Angus.
Members of Muirfield Action Group were angered after Mr Nield reminded them that the Westway is a 30mph road and also that it is a parental responsibility to ensure a child’s safety on route to school, unless catching a bus.
Councillor David May raised a number of questions, including why Timmergreens and Muirfield had been identified for merger rather than other schools in the town.
Director of education Neil Logue said the council has assessment procedures to identify which sites were a priority, just as “every household” must choose what to spend money on.
He said neither school “lends itself” to refurbishment in the same way as Carlogie Primary in Carnoustie had, and confirmed it would not have been viable to spread the budget across all ten of Arbroath’s primaries due to falling school rolls.
Mr Logue admitted the council is aware of heating problems at Warddykes Primary, but assured the committee that work on essential repairs at any school would be carried out and come from a separate maintenance budget.
Arbroath SNP councillor Sheena Welsh tabled an amendment to the report that, if successful, would have seen councillors note the findings made by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education assessment of the project, rather than pass the motion.
She said, “Four sites were originally offered for this new combined school but every site had the same problem half the school population is going to have to cross the Westway.
“Road safety is always at the forefront of parents’ minds. When a child is upset or overexcited, all sense of road safety goes out the window.
“They do not stop and think, ‘Ah, I must adhere to the Pedestrian Access Strategy as laid down by Angus Council.’ ”
Ms Welsh added, “In the 1970s Angus County Council built one school on each side of the Westway for good reasons. Traffic volume has increased exponentially since then.”
Councillor Paul Valentine said a traffic impact survey should have been available to the committee before a decision was taken, adding that there were several parts of the report that required “a bit more explanation.”
He said such omissions could lead to “allegations of decisions being made before they have been debated.”
Councillor Donald Morrison said, “Arbroath councillors, past and present, know exactly how busy the Westway is and with a new supermarket soon to open at the bottom of the road, this will only increase traffic numbers both commercial and private.”
In an attack on members of the Muirfield Action Group who had shouted down several committee members’ comments from the public gallery, Councillor David Fairweather said he “took umbrage” to their behaviour.
He added, “This school is not a laughing matter. It is something for our children’s future.”
The Timmergreens Parent Council submitted a letter to the local authority explaining they were broadly in favour of the merger, but had some concerns on safe routes to school and capacity for future expansion.
The Muirfield Parent Council did not submit a letter, but has been involved in the consultation process.
A decision on whether to progress to the next stage will be taken at a full council meeting on June 22, before the matter is passed to Scottish Government ministers for consideration.