Fife Council has approved plans to build a £40 million replacement Dunfermline High School, in what was described as an “historic occasion.”
The plans for the environmentally-friendly school have solar heating, rainwater collection and quality architectural design features, along with a vertical wind turbine that will provide electricity to the school, at St Leonard’s Place.
The council also passed proposals to build a new £7.8 million primary school at Halbeath Road in Dunfermline. It will be called Carnegie Primary School.
On Wednesday members of Fife Council’s city of Dunfermline area committee passed the plans for both new schools, with building due to start in the autumn on the replacement Dunfermline High School.
The new school will have a capacity for 1800 pupils and will have three classroom wings with state-of-the-art heating.
In addition, the school will also have CO2 and heat monitors in all the classrooms, solar shading, rainwater collection, which will be used to flush toilets, solar panels to help heat water, top-level insulation, environmentally-sound materials and 40% of the heating will come from renewable sources.
The contemporary design incorporates room for a sports hall, two gyms, a dance studio, assembly hall, mini theatre workshop, library and conference accommodation.
Council development and building team leader Mary Stewart told committee members on Wednesday that the plan was “new and exciting” and that the school would have a “lot of child-friendly” space.
She said, “The design of the school is deliberately flexible to allow for future classrooms and communal spaces for different age groups are carefully arranged and separated.
“The architects have successfully addressed the purpose of the building to create a facility that will not be intimidating in scale or form, but that will still be distinctive to a range of age groups.”
She added, “Overall, the proposals are a positive design response to the need to create a stimulating but secure learning environment for a range of child and adult users.”
Councillor Jackie McKenna said it was a “historic occasion.”
Councillor Tony Martin told members that people had “waited a long time” for the plans to be passed and said it will be a “fantastic” school.
Councillor Joe Rosiejak, chairman of the city of Dunfermline committee, said, “This is a great day for Dunfermline it’s official.
“I will personally drive a JCB over the old school when building starts.”
It is proposed that pupils will start moving into the new building in the autumn of 2012.
Work is planned to start on the new sports venues at that time, with completion estimated in autumn 2013.
The committee also approved plans to build a new £7.8 million primary school at Halbeath Road.
Councillor Lizz Mogg said, “I’m delighted that this has been brought forward.
“It will be a wonderful, state of the art primary school.”
Mrs McKenna said, “I’m very pleased to see this as we have waited a long time for this to happen.
“It’s like waiting for a bus all of a sudden, a number of schools have come along at once.”
Work on the new Carnegie Primary School is due to begin in the summer, with a construction period of one year envisaged.