Tain parents call for action on campus build

COUNCILLORS facing a headache over delays to an Easter Ross secondary school under construction are set to be given a clear message over another yet to get off the drawing board: “Get on with it.”

A three-month public consultation over where to build a multimillion-pound super school campus in Tain ends on Tuesday with the future education of three to 18-year-olds at stake.

Several of the existing schools the new campus would replace – amongst them Tain Royal Academy (TRA) – are rated as being in poor condition and in urgent need of replacement.

As councillors this week heard that the Alness Academy new-build is already behind schedule and set to miss the agreed March 2020 completion date, parent groups in Tain are determined to see progress with plans for the campus which have been rumbling on for more than four years.

Highland Council – which has yet to pull together a funding package for the Tain scheme it regards as a priority – could table its proposal to committee just before Christmas.

An exclusive online poll run by the Ross-shire Journal shows a clear majority of respondents opting for a campus site at Craighill Primary as opposed to the existing Tain Royal Academy site. That echoes public concerns which prompted a rethink from Highland Council four years ago.

Tarbat Community Council is amongst the latest groups backing Craighill, stating that the TRA site “should not feature even as a second choice”. It has outlined concerns over the lack of space for future expansion, inadequate room to play and the prospect of “tall and ugly buildings more appropriate to terminals at a second-rate airport”.

It says that “huge cost advantages” could come from using modular building techniques.

The new campus will replace Tain Royal Academy, Craighill Primary, Knockbreck and the St Duthus special school. Parent councils have consistently appealed for improved facilities with the existing Craighill building the lowest scoring in the Highlands for educational suitability and condition.

Wendy Hennem, of Tain Royal Academy Parent Council, noted that the Craighill site appeared to be the preferred public choice and that the resounding response from young people is: “Just get it done.”

Tain and Easter Ross ward councillor Fiona Robertson told the Journal: “As we haven’t reached the deadline yet, I am not privy to the results of the consultation. However, I believe from my work with the stakeholder group and from being amongst the communities, that the Craighill site may be the most popular option. This has always been my preferred option as I believe it is much more suitable for a development of the size of a three to 18 campus.

“Whatever the results, it is important that the community works with Highland Council in order to deliver much-needed new schools for Tain. The extremely poor conditions of our primary and secondary schools in Tain is well known and acknowledged by Highland Council, therefore we all need to work hard to prepare an agreed plan in order to be in a position to apply for government funding later in the year.

“I believe the majority of people in Tain and Easter Ross just want to ensure we get fit for purpose schools in Tain to ensure the best possible educational facilities for our children’s futures.”

Fellow ward councillor Derek Loudon said: “Studies by the community council, the Highland Council and the Ross-shire Journal have shown a clear preference for Craighill. There is little public support for the TRA site as all three consultations have shown. I hope we can move on now to get a layout on the Craighill site which is along the lines of the study done by Lachie Stewart [chairman of Tain and Easter Ross Civic Trust] and the community council which takes advantage of the space available to deliver great new buildings for primary, secondary, St Duthus, Gaelic and sports and leisure.

“I believe significant savings on cost, quality and time can be made with new construction techniques which are proven and have worked elsewhere. Let’s work with the Scottish Government and the Scottish Future’s Trust to deliver a great result for the people of Easter Ross.”

The consultation can be accessed at https://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/19305/proposal_paper_tain_final_240518

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