Published: Wednesday, 30th July, 2008 9:00am
Primary work underway at new Lauder school
by Ally McGilvray
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LAUDER primary school will be one of the best in Scotland when it is completed next year.
Councillor Catriona Bhatia, Executive Member for Education at Scottish Borders Council, made the statement as work on the £7.5 million project got underway this week – despite voting against the plans.
She believes the local authority"s investment in the area, as well as the new primary school in Peebles which is costing a further £10 million, shows it is committed to improving education in the region.
The council revealed it has awarded the building contract for both projects to Graham Construction, from Northern Ireland, which is also part of the consortium building the three new secondary schools in Earlston, Eyemouth and Duns.
However, unlike the high schools which are funded by a controversial Public Private Partnership, the new state-of-the-art primary schools are being funded from the council"s capital management programme.
Speaking to the Border Telegraph after watching council leader David Parker join local children to cut the first sod at the site at Allanbank in Lauder on Monday, Councillor Bhatia – who has been criticised during the education authority"s recent cost-cutting exercise - said: 'I hope this will be one of the best new schools in Scotland as well as one of the best in the Borders.
'I did vote against the planning application but clearly it got through, and that was a decision that was taken by the council and subsequently by Scottish Ministers, and I"m happy to endorse that due process.
'It is a huge investment not just in education but for the local community who will get to use the school out-of-hours.
'In Lauder, the old school has portacabins in the playground and hardly any space outside so this will be such a difference for children who want to learn for generations.'
The school in Lauder, which was designed by Parr Architects following input from parents, teachers and pupils, is due to be completed in September 2009.
It will comprise 10 classrooms and can accommodate up to 275 primary children in the growing town – 80 more than at present.
There will be a separate entrance for cars and children, with a walkway linking to the nearby playpark, and a new safer route into the town centre.
Talks are also continuing over plans to install a biomass heating system to reduce the building"s carbon footprint.
Lauderdale Community Council chairman Graeme Donald said: 'This is absolutely the best site for the school. The community worked very hard to achieve this site – it"s in the centre of the town, in a beautiful location and neighbours onto the public park.'
And Councillor Parker added: 'Today is a historic step forward in meeting this administration"s ambitious action plan to invest more than £150 million in new and improved schools in the Borders.'
The school is part of a multi-million pound vision, which includes a new road layout, homes and a health centre, to develop and improve the look of Lauder – one of the oldest towns in Scotland – amid claims it has been neglected for more than 30 years.
Councillor Neil Calvert, Executive Member for Finance, said: 'I was delighted that the contracts for both schools were within our original budgets, which will enable us to progress with confidence our plans to build the new schools for Halyrude (Peebles), Caddonfoot and West Linton in future.'
