Edinburgh schools: Councillors opt for extension to Queensferry High rather than new school in Kirkliston
Edinburgh councillors have decided to expand Queensferry High School rather than build a new school in Kirkliston.
The city council education committee backed an extension at South Queensferry as the best way to supply extra secondary places in the west of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh council officers have projected that Queensferry High School will be over its 1,200 capacity by 2027.
Some locals in Kirkliston have long wanted to see a new high school built there to meet the needs of the community, but others have expressed concerns over what it could mean for development in the area.
Council officers had raised their own concerns, around planning law and good value for money, over the development of a new building.
A new high school in Kirkliston would have likely had to be built on greenbelt land, with concerns this could lead to the strength of the greenbelt diminishing in this area, possibly leading to new housing construction.
The issue of cost was also stark – a report by officers said an expanded school at Queensferry would cost £52 million pounds, while building a new Kirkliston high school would cost £91.65m.
The report further said that the running costs of an expanded high school at Queensferry would be lower than that of a new school at Kirkliston due to the necessity for a new school to hire new administrative and other staff.
Officers will now go forward to further flesh out their plans on how to expand the school.
Two different plans were outlined for building an annex to Queensferry High School, saying that building an extension to the school would be impractical.
One option would build a four storey annex to the southwest of the current school, on the site of several existing sports pitches.
Council officers said this was the less contentious option, but would require the relocation of some sports pitches elsewhere in the site.
The other option would see a four storey annex built to the north of the school, on the site of the building’s car park.
Officers said this option would be more contentious in planning terms due to its proximity to a conservation area, and require the school finding a new parking area.