Schools showdown hots up

EDUCATION chiefs have presented detailed plans for rebuilding five city schools to the Scottish Government, as the stand-off over who will pay for the massive project continues.

Around 45,000 has been spent on the feasibility studies, which identify the options for the future of Portobello, James Gillespie's and Boroughmuir high schools, St John's Primary and St Crispin's special school.

The city's education leader, Marilyne MacLaren, said the council has "now done everything possible" from its point of view, but still needs millions of pounds in funding before the schemes can get the go-ahead.

However, Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop has already told parents there is no point in the council asking for more cash, as they have already been allocated "record levels of funding".

The stalemate is confounded because the Scottish Futures Trust – the SNP's alternative to the PFI funding mechanism – has yet to be established. Parents today welcomed the submission of the feasibility studies, but urged the council to find a way forward.

The cost of the "wave three" project is 165 million – and rising. The council's next step will be to draw up business plans for each school, which will specify the preferred options for each site.

Councillor MacLaren said: "The council has now allocated 33m – 20 per cent of the total cost – which demonstrates our absolute commitment to these projects. I am delighted we have now submitted the feasibility studies to the Scottish Government, which were produced in partnership with each school community.

"Feedback from parents and staff was extremely useful and will now inform the final business cases which will be completed by June of this year.

"We have now done everything possible to ensure the delivery of these projects and I now look forward to working with the Scottish Government to identify funding mechanisms and very much hope that they can assist us to deliver these new schools."

Details of the feasibility studies have not been released, but the council said the options identified include a new school on Portobello Park to replace Portobello High and a redevelopment on the existing James Gillespie's site – both as expected.

Two options for Boroughmuir include the most likely scenario of a major on-site refurbishment of the school at Viewforth, with a new-build option on Scottish Water-owned land at Fairmilehead also included.

The possibility of building on the Astley Ainslie Hospital site in The Grange has not been analysed.

Polly Purvis, chair of the Action for Boroughmuir campaign group, said today: "The council has done a good job, and has accepted our input.

"However, the Scottish Government expects the council to find a solution without receiving a further capital budget, so the council needs to come up with a way to do that."

There are three options for St John's Primary – building an extension on neighbouring tennis courts, a complete new-build on site, or the less popular scenario of a new-build at the current home of Portobello High.

The studies have also analysed rebuilding St Crispin's at its existing site, or erecting a new school on council-owned land somewhere else in the city.

In a letter sent to parents last week, Ms Hyslop said the Scottish Government does not need to approve business cases as it is up to local authorities to identify their own "funding solutions".