A new £180 million ‘super campus’ planned for Dunfermline could be up and running by the summer of 2024, it has emerged.
After many months of debate, Fife College has confirmed that it has now appointed the project management team that will deliver the new community learning campus which will bring together the college’s Dunfermline Campus, Woodmill High School and St Columba’s High School all on the one site at Duloch.
The Scottish Government has already pledged to invest up to £90 million in capital to fund the college portion of the campus, and up to 50% of the overall cost for the schools element, with the total price tag expected to range between £150m and £180m.
And while there is still a long way to go, the signing of a deal to finally take the new community learning campus forward has been hailed as a key milestone in efforts to have facilities completed in time for the start of the 2024/25 academic year.
Following a rigorous procurement process, construction and property consultancy firm Gardiner and Theobald was chosen to form the multi-disciplinary project management and design team.
They will be aided by award-winning architects Reiach and Hall, who will form part of the design team for the development.
The appointment will now enable the design to be developed for the Fife College element of the so-called Dunfermline Learning Campus, which will be created on the former Shepherd Offshore site, and Sue Reekie, chief operating officer at Fife College, is looking forward to seeing ideas start to come to fruition.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for the college, and this announcement means we can move on to the next stage of development for our new Dunfermline campus,” she explained.
“We undertook an incredibly thorough procurement process to find the team to manage the project going forward, and to undertake the design work.
“We’re delighted to be working with Gardiner and Theobald, and along with architects Reiach and Hall we believe we’ve got the best possible group to deliver our new campus.
“Together, I’m sure that we will be able to fulfil our pledge to deliver a first-class, sustainable learning environment for our students.”
The college has been in discussions with the Scottish Government and Fife Council on the construction of the joint school and college campus since before the fire at Woodmill High last year, although that has certainly focused all parties’ minds.
David Logue, partner at Gardiner and Theobald, said: “The Dunfermline Learning Campus is a transformational opportunity for education in Scotland and Gardiner and Theobald is honoured to be leading Fife College’s contribution to this.
“We are confident that our team will deliver world class facilities for the College and its students and staff.”
