Edinburgh schools: New Liberton High school takes major step forward as planning permission granted

Community campus key part of new Edinburgh school

Proposals for a new Liberton High School have taken a major step forward with the approval of the planning application for the 1,200-pupil school and community campus.

Construction is due to begin in May this year with the school scheduled to open in 2025. The three-storey building will consist of a variety of “inspirational and inclusive” spaces for learning. As well as classrooms, studios, workshops and science labs there will be collaborative areas and breakout spaces, which educaion bosses say will provide learners with more choice over their learning environment.

Sports facilities include a floodlit multi use games area, basketball court and athletics facilities. The current tennis and beach volleyball courts and mountain bike trail will be retained as will the sports block. A new fitness suite and dance studio will be provided to complement the existing sports facilities. There will also be outdoor learning spaces and a grassed amphitheatre.

The new Liberton High community campus will also include a cafe, library and police base.

The community campus will include non-educational facilities such as a café, library and flexible workspaces, as well as a base for Police Scotland. Plans for a GP practice on the site have been paused because of funding problems. The school will be constructed to energy-efficient Passivhaus standards designed to help meet Edinburgh’s 2030 Net Zero target. The new school, which is to have black and bronze metal cladding, will be built on the existing site to the north of the current building, which will remain open untl the new building is ready. The proposals do not make any provision for a Gaelic-medium school, which had been considered earlier in the planning process.

Education convener Joan Griffiths said: “The new school campuses we’re planning are innovatively and sustainably designed so they are inspirational places for learning for the next generation of young people creating a vibrant and thriving learning environment. The Liberton Community Campus is a really exciting project which provides an amazing opportunity to create, as part of an inclusive net zero-carbon city, a community lifelong learning and sports hub to replace the existing school.

“This means public services can be co-located with links to active travel networks, green infrastructure and public transport networks. This community hub vision for the building to be ‘more than a school’ aligns with our 20-minute neighbourhood strategy – to localise and co-locate services, making them more accessible for communities and to improve the experiences and outcomes for everyone. This is all part of the council’s plan to support the wellbeing of everyone and end poverty and isolation in Edinburgh.”