The £31m rebuilding of Harris Academy will be ”a bit of a legacy for me”, Dundee’s education convener has said.
Liz Fordyce is standing down as a councillor at the May local government elections, but she hopes progress being made on the project now will ensure that it is ready in time for the start of term in summer 2016.
She said: “There are a lot of constructive discussions going on and a lot of positive things happening which mean we can move forward with the plans.
“Historic Scotland have encouraged us to move ahead with our finalised application and our application to demolish.”
The category B-listed building in Perth Road has been the school’s home since the 1930s, but it is no longer suitable for its 1,100 pupils.
A complete rebuild of the site has been ordered, although Mrs Fordyce said she is hopeful that some aspects of the existing building can be retained.
One third of the funding for the project is coming from the council and the rest from the Scottish Government-backed Scottish Futures Trust, which is overseeing major capital projects through a network of regional consortia.
The one covering Dundee has now appointed Edinburgh architects Holmes Miller to design the new Harris and it is likely that construction firm Robertson which has built several city schools in recent years will be responsible for the building work.
Mrs Fordyce said she would welcome Robertson’s involvement, adding: “We know how they work and they know how we work. They have used a lot of local sub-contractors before.”
She is expecting the result to be “a new, innovative design that brings a high-quality building. It has got to be friendly for everyone and inclusive for the disabled.
“I am hoping for an iconic building that will enhance the area.”‘Need to move on’Work on the detailed plans will take several months and the city council is proposing to begin a consultation in September, with a public exhibition to follow.
If all goes to schedule, staff and pupils will be decanted to their temporary home at the former Rockwell High School site in Lawton Road in August 2013. Construction of the new school will take three years.
Council administration leader Ken Guild is a former Harris pupil and he said former pupils were supportive of the project.
“They do see the need to move on. What was state of the art in the 1930s is not now.
“Former pupils have made the point that there is more to a school than a building. There is its traditions and values, and these will still be very much in place at Harris.”
West End councillor Richard McCready, who is a member of the Harris project board that met a few days ago, said: “There is now at long last some progress being made after several years of foot-dragging. I will continue to campaign for the refurbishment of the Harris as a priority for the next council.
“It is important that this project is actually delivered for the good of the young people of the West End and beyond.”
Fraser Macpherson, who also represents the ward, said: “The board was given assurances of progress with Historic Scotland about the project and the planning process will commence later this year.
“There was a useful discussion about the role of the Scottish Futures Trust, participation by pupils, parents and the wider West End community in the new school design, transport arrangements during the decant from August 2013, and the facilities at the Rockwell decant site that will be home to Harris Academy from 2013-16.”