Work to start on new Shetland school

Work is set to start in Shetland on the new Anderson High School and halls of residence at the Staney Hill in Lerwick.

The project has reached financial close, giving the green light to the £55.75million plan, which will be funded in large part by the Scottish Government through the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT).

This Shetland Islands Council (SIC) project is being delivered by hub North Scotland.  Main contractors Morrison Construction are now onsite, have begun their site establishment work and will soon be starting their main earthwork operations. The project is scheduled to be completed by late summer 2017.

The four-storey school, which can accommodate up to 1,180 pupils, and the three-storey, 100-bed residential building have been designed by Ryder Architecture.

The new Anderson High School, which is a like for like replacement for the current school, will cost £42.01m. The halls of residence will cost £13.74m. Two thirds of the funding for these will come from the Scottish Government, through the SFT. Additional works at Clickimin Leisure Centre will cost around £3m and this will be principally funded by SIC.

SIC leader Gary Robinson said,  “We’ve reached a significant milestone in this project, and I’d like to pay tribute to the enormous amount of effort which our officers – along with all our partners – have put into getting us to this stage. Chief executive Mark Boden, along with director of children’s services Helen Budge and her team, have done outstanding work over the past couple of years to bring us to this point.”

Angus Macfarlane, chief executive of hub North Scotland, added, “This is a vitally important step for the new Anderson High School project and is of great significance to the staff, pupils and community it will serve. As an organisation established to drive improvements to community infrastructure, we are fully committed to delivering a first class facility which will benefit generations to come.”