4 February 2008
The new Craigmillar £30 million community high school and public library, to be funded by PARC, has been given the green light by Edinburgh City Council.
The high school, which will have capacity for up to 700 pupils and will be one of the most technologically advanced anywhere in Edinburgh, will take the place of Castlebrae Community High School and form a vital part of the redeveloped Craigmillar town centre at a new site off Niddrie Mains Road.
PARC, which has expressed a long-term commitment to providing a new high school for Craigmillar, is also behind the provision of 3000 homes in the area.
Construction work of the new state of the art learning facility will begin in 2009, with the new school opening for the start of the school year in 2011.
As well as providing a top class educational base, the school and library will also will be a major benefit for the wider community, providing opportunities for education, recreation and entertainment in the evenings and the weekends.
John Quinn, PARC's General Manager says: "We have always been committed to building a new high school and public library and there is no doubt that it will be right at the heart of the Craigmillar regeneration.
"With over 3,000 new homes set to be built in the area, the current population could potentially double to more than 15,000 people in Craigmillar. Central to the whole regeneration process is the need for a first class educational facility and this population needs and deserves the very best that the Capital can offer.
Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Chair of PARC comments: “This is an extremely exciting time for Craigmillar and the new community high school and library will play a fundamental role in the regeneration of the area. PARC is looking forward to moving this important project forward over the coming months.”
Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, Convener for Education, Children and Families says: “I am delighted that a new secondary school is being built in Craigmillar. This new building will have excellent facilities and provide a superb backdrop for a first-class education. I have no doubt that this school will also dramatically help in the regeneration of the area along with the library and sports facilities.
"We look forward to working with PARC over the next three years to provide a new learning establishment of which the whole city can be proud."
Serving a wide range of needs for the entire community, the high school will follow on from the development of Craigmillar’s £13 million joint campus primary school, which began construction last year. Meanwhile, Edinburgh's first ever 'third generation' artificial sports pitch opened last year. The £500,000 sports facility took just under a year to complete and is part of the overall regeneration of the area.