A LANDMARK building in Dundee city centre is to become an academy for the performing and visual arts.
Dundee High School has bought the former Post Office on Ward Road, and yesterday rector Dr John Halliday unveiled plans to redevelop it at a cost of several million pounds.
“The acquisition of this building is a stunning, once-in-a-generation opportunity to create state-of-the-art facilities for the benefit of our current and future pupils,” he said.
“It is a clear statement that we want to remain at the forefront of Scottish education and is also a vote of confidence in the future of the school.”
The former Post Office dates back to 1898. It became a nightclub in the mid-1990s but has lain disused for several years.
The site is only yards from the school campus and talks will be held with the city council on traffic and access implications. This will include the possibility of pedestrianising Euclid Street or making it one-way.
Dr Halliday said: “Its situation adjacent to the school, and the size of the site, mean that we can now press ahead with the ambitious development plans we have been putting together in recent years.
“We are committed to excellence in all areas and this will enable us to develop our plans for an academy of performing arts, and art and design, in a cutting-edge facility.
“Music and drama, and cultural education generally, are at the heart of the school. We aspire to the highest standards and we now want to develop our facilities to ensure they are second-to-none in Scottish schools.
“The purchase of the Post Office building and associated site between Ward Road and Euclid Street also reflects our dedication to the welfare of the city of Dundee as a whole at this exciting time in its history.
“We firmly believe in the future of Dundee and wish to make a substantial contribution to ensure that Meadowside/city centre thrives as a complement to the well-publicised waterfront project.”
The development will have no effect on the Post Office operating nearby on Meadowside.
Dundee High has not disclosed what it paid for the building, although it did say it was a “very competitive price”.
A place at Dundee High School costs up to £10,300 a year. Parents of the 1,000 pupils have been given assurances they will not face a big rise in fees as a result of the investment.
Adrian Stewart, chairman of the board of directors, said: “We will wish to preserve as much as is possible of the existing structure, whilst at the same time redeveloping it to create a wonderful enhancement to both the school itself and the Meadowside area more generally.
“We will be commissioning a firm of architects to provide a staged plan for the redevelopment of the site. The precise details will be confirmed once we have agreed on a plan of action with the chosen architects.
“However, it is likely to include a new dining and other social areas for pupils, a new centre for the performing and visual arts, housing the music, drama and art and design departments.
“It is envisaged that these facilities will be able to be used by local groups and for conferences, as well as the school.”
Work to tidy up and strip out the building will begin immediately and the school is hoping to have a planning application ready for the autumn, with the redevelopment to start as soon as possible once consent has been given. This process is likely to be carried out in stages over several years.