| Despite Brackens Primary in the north-west of the city and Powrie Primary in the east having been vacated since last year, the council is still not ready to bring in contractors.
But it insists the aim of having the first schools complete by the summer of 2007 will be met.
Six primary and secondary schools will be built to replace a number of ageing and unwanted buildings. The two secondaries, a denominational school to be built on Kirkton Park off Gillburn Road and a replacement for Grove Academy in Broughty Ferry on the north side of Camperdown Street, will take two years to be built.
The smaller primaries can be built more quickly and are being organised into two phases.
In the first phase, Macalpine and Brackens will be replaced by a new school on the Brackens site off Laird Street, and St Columba’s and St Margaret’s will merge in a new school at the foot of the present Macalpine site in St Leonard Road.
Douglas and Powrie schools are being replaced by the new Claypotts Castle Primary to be built on the Powrie site in Baluniefield Road, and Fintry Primary and Nursery will be replaced by a new school on the Fintry site in Finavon Place.
The second phase will see Downfield Primary and Kirkton Nursery replaced by a new school on the site of St Columba’s Primary in Haldane Crescent, and Mid Craigie and Mossgiel primaries being replaced by a new school to be built behind St Vincent’s Primary in Pitkerro Road.
The emptying of the Brackens and Powrie buildings last year suggested work should have been under way by now. The fact that it has not has raised concerns the project has run into difficulties and deadlines will not me met.
A council spokesman said there were still some contractual amendments to be finalised, but this was well under way.
“As soon as this has been completed and approved by the council the contractors will be on site. It is not expected that this will have an impact on completion dates for the project,” he said.
Education convener Councillor Kevin Keenan said, “We remain fully committed to delivering this exciting project to the timetable we announced last autumn, with the first school open in summer 2007 and the final ones complete a year later.”
The project is being undertaken by the Discovery Education Consortium, a joint venture between Robertson Capital Projects Ltd and Sir Robert McAlpine PFI Ltd.
Robertson will maintain the schools for 30 years. They could then be either handed back to the council or the maintenance contract extended. The schools are being built with a minimum life expectancy of 50 years. |
