A failed proposal for an £8 million Angus school is to be completely scrapped, The Courier can reveal.
The incoming SNP administration put their first stamp of authority on the county on Wednesday, confirming they will go back to the drawing board on the Arbroath ”superschool” project and open up a period of consultation across the entire town estate.
A judicial review of the Scottish Government’s refusal of the proposal initiated by the Angus Alliance prior to the election is now almost certain to be halted, although the formality of voting on the decision must take place at a meeting of full council.
The move means final confirmation of a reprieve for Muirfield and Timmergreens primaries, which were earmarked for closure and merger into a new-build site at Hospitalfield on the Westway.
Incoming Arbroath councillor Ewan Smith, who led the campaign against the project as a member of Muirfield Action Group, released a statement on behalf of the SNP.
He said: ”The SNP’s Angus group made a clear and unambiguous pre-election pledge over the Arbroath schools project. We stated that if we could form an administration after the election, we would scrap the judicial review and begin a fresh period of consultation across the entire Arbroath school estate.
”We now fully intend following through with that commitment and believe that the council must deal with this issue as quickly as possible to avoid escalating legal costs and continued uncertainty.”
All schools in Arbroath are now back in the running to benefit from the massive funding pot, which could potentially be divided up to refurbish existing buildings. School estate management plans for 2009 show five primary schools in Arbroath could be refurbished at a cost of £2,631,200.
The documents, which were used by Angus Council to pinpoint grading ratings for schools ahead of the merger application, revealed that it would cost £528,900 to bring Muirfield up to standard and £774,000 for Timmergreens. It was further detailed that renovations at Warddykes would cost £835,600, Ladyloan £416,100 and Inverbrothock £76,600.
Arbroath councillor David Fairweather said Muirfield and Timmergreens were below standard and must be replaced.
He added: ”I have never wavered from my position about the need for a new school in the west end of Arbroath. At present the two schools sites that were due for closure are in a sub-standard condition and do not represent value for money.
”The SNP are saying they will scrap the judicial review, which to me smacks of desperation, and I believe they will be exposed as being in collusion with the education minister. I am still certain that they know they will lose the judicial review.”
The Scottish Government rejected the Alliance application on the grounds that proper consultation and school inspection procedures had not been followed and also raised concerns about road safety.
Originally scheduled for May 3, the same day as the local elections, the taxpayer-funded judicial review brought forward by the previous council aimed to prove Education Minister Mike Russell had acted outwith his powers in refusing permission for the project.
However, that hearing didn’t go ahead and with the matter now deferred until next month it seems unlikely the case with progress any further.
The plans for a 500-pupil building in Arbroath have been dogged by controversy from the outset.
Allegations were made that multiple consultation responses came from one computer and documents from the council’s own roads department revealed the location would be likely to cause traffic chaos.
Parents raised concerns about their children having to cross the busy Westway and there were claims the new building would see pupils crammed into less classrooms.