Education / Consultation events planned for new Brae school project
TWO public events are set to take place later this year on a proposed new Brae High School as part of a consultation process.
Ryder Architecture has lodged a proposal of application notice with the council’s planning service for the project, which currently has an estimated price tag of more than £40 million.
The Scottish Government has already committed to providing half of the funding, although this would come over a 25-year period.
The proposal of application formally begins a minimum 12-week consultation period that is required before a planning application is lodged.
Two public events will take place at Brae High School, giving the community an opportunity to contribute their views to help shape the emerging design proposals.
The two drop-in events will take place on Tuesday 10 September and Tuesday 26 November, each between 3.30pm and 7.30pm, with the first event outlining the design brief for the school and providing an analysis of the current site and future options.
The follow-up event will provide more detail on building designs and site layout. There will also be an online option for anyone to respond if they are unable to attend events in person.
The consultations during this pre-application period will be led by a team from Ryder Architecture.
The SIC said feedback received during these events are not representations to the council’s planning service. There will be an opportunity to do so once a formal planning application is submitted.
This project is part of the North Schools Programme, a partnership between five local authorities – Shetland Islands Council, Orkney Islands Council, Argyll and Bute Council, Moray Council and Aberdeen City Council – to work together to deliver new learning estate.
The SIC said this collaboration is expected to deliver “substantial financial, economic, and social impact benefits”.
Last year the Brae Campus was identified as a project to be supported through phase three of the Scottish Government’s £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme.
In January this year Shetland Islands Council approved an outline business case for the Brae Campus, with an estimated cost of approximately £42.5 million, subject to the approval of a full business case at a later date.
A number sites feature on a longlist, including at Moorfield and new brownfield areas behind the existing school.
However, an option to build on the site of the existing grass football pitch next to the school appears to be the preferred option at this stage – particularly as pupils would not need to be decanted during construction.
A report presented to councillors in January said a pitch could be reinstated in the area where existing buildings may be demolished.
Chair of the SIC’s education and families committee councillor Davie Sandison said: “We are making steady progress to realise the long-term ambition of a new high school in Brae, which will continue to be a vital asset for the North Mainland for many years to come.
“This first round of public meetings will give parents, pupils and the wider community a chance to contribute their thoughts on how the school could look and feel. I’d urge anyone who has a view to get involved at this early stage.”
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