Dumfries & Galloway Council Press Release
Dumfries and Galloway Council (24 September 2020) will consider a report on phase 2 of Dumfries Learning Town and be asked to agree a bid for £69m to replace Dumfries High School, relocate Loreburn Primary School, and refurbish Dumfries Academy.
Members will be asked to agree the contents of a draft bid document and authorise the Chief Executive to finalise and submit this to the Scottish Government to meet the expected timeframe for the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP).
The high-level cost estimates for the projects are:
Dumfries High School: £46,540,224
Loreburn Primary School + Dumfries Academy: £22,725,659
The Dumfries Academy works include relocating Loreburn PS into the Minerva building, delivering solutions to poor music and PE accommodation, and addressing prioritised maintenance backlog issues.
Dumfries Learning Town [phase 2) has already been identified as a priority project in developing the Council’s Capital Investment Strategy, as updated by the Council in June 2020. Once the Scottish Government provides an update on future levels of capital funding support, details will be presented to members for them to consider the inclusion of the project in the budget development process.
Councillor Jeff Leaver, chair of the Education and Learning committee, said: “Our Council is committed to progressing phase 2 of Dumfries Learning Town. The next round of funding is now available, and we must move swiftly to submit a bid and include it in our capital programme.”
Councillor Ros Surtees, vice chair, said: “Every pupil deserves the best possible education facilities. We’ve delivered some first-class school buildings across the region, including Dalbeattie Learning Campus, the Douglas Ewart performing arts facility, and Penninghame Nursery. We must now move quickly to further develop our region’s school estate.”
