School plans extension of temporary fix

TEMPORARY classrooms set up at one of Edinburgh's top schools three years ago look set to remain in use until at least 2013.

George Watson's College set up the three buildings in 2007 to house classrooms for drama and health and food technologies.

Planning consent at the time said the buildings could remain in use for three years, but with that permission due to run out in May, the school has applied for an extension, saying it will not be able to accommodate the classes anywhere else.

In a letter to the council, the school admitted that "other priorities" had made it impossible to develop a permanent solution to the problem.

George Watson's is working to refurbish and upgrade its PE facilities completely.

The first two phases of this work have been carried out and plans for the third phase, a 7 million two-year project to create a new Centre for Sport, are currently being finalised.

The school is hoping to start work on this in the summer, with completion expected in late 2012. A decision on whether the temporary classrooms can remain will be taken by the council in the coming months.