New Winchburgh Academy complete

Construction work has been completed at the new Winchburgh Academy, ahead of schedule and on budget.

Executive councillor for education Andrew McGuire and Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick visited the new state-of-the-art school on Friday, July 8 to mark the official handover of the building to West Lothian Council. The construction project was delivered on behalf of the council by its development partner Hub South East, with Morrison Construction as the primary contractor.

The new school will offer education for 660 young people to meet with the increasing demand in the expanding village, which has been designated a core development area. The innovative design of the school means that it can be expanded to accommodate up to 1,210 pupils as the village increases in size.

Winchburgh Academy is part of West Lothian’s biggest ever investment in education. A £60.7 million project to build two new secondary schools and a primary school as well as a shared sport, leisure and community facility in Winchburgh.

David Wright from Morrison Construction, John Hamilton from Winchburgh Developments Ltd and Scott Brown from Hub South East officially hand over the building to West Lothian Council’s Executive councillor for Education, Andrew McGuire and Leader of West Lothian Council, Lawrence Fitzpatrick.

Winchburgh Academy is the first of these projects to be completed and will open to pupils in August.

Executive councillor for education Andrew McGuire said: “Winchburgh Academy is yet another fantastic school for West Lothian, providing the perfect venue for top-quality education. The scale of development in the village means that Winchburgh Academy will be needed to cater for demand for secondary education and we are delighted to officially receive the keys to the building.

“The adjacent shared facility will also be a valuable resource for all the new schools and the wider community, offering a hub for sport, leisure and community activities.”

West Lothian Council leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick added: “This is a proud day for everyone involved in this project. There has been a great example of how a large scale construction project should work and the outcome is absolutely tremendous. Everyone involved in this project should be very proud.

“West Lothian Council invest heavily in our schools and we already have one of the best school estates in the country.”

Scott Brown, project director for Hub South East, added: “It’s a pleasure to be marking the early handover of the new state-of-the-art Winchburgh Academy. This is a fantastic learning facility with a range of flexible spaces that will allow the best possible experiences for young people on their learner journey and we’re delighted to have been able to complete this ahead of schedule to allow pupils and staff to begin the new academic year in their new High School.”

“We’re proud to be entrusted to deliver the Winchburgh Schools project, West Lothian Council’s largest investment in education, and look forward to completing the sports block and two further schools in this exciting new campus, over the next few months.”

David Ewing, managing director of Morrison Construction Building Central, said: “The Winchburgh Academy is a major part of this fantastic campus and we are delighted to be able to deliver this new facility ahead of schedule so everyone has more time to prepare for the next school year.

“We have a strong partnership with West Lothian and Hub South East which is demonstrated by the quality of this new school and we look forward to delivering on the rest of the Winchburgh scheme to come.”

John Hamilton, CEO, Winchburgh Developments: “The importance of the first of Winchburgh’s two new secondary schools being completed today cannot be overstated. As well as being a key element of the Winchburgh masterplan it will enrich the lives of thousands of Winchburgh children for many years to come and provide immeasurable benefits to the wider community. WDL and its investors are privileged to have played a role in its delivery, over a long period of time, and delighted to see the fantastic outcome by the council’s project team.”