MORRISON Construction will build a new primary school in Haddington, which is being fully funded by contributions from developers.
The 14-classroom school will be built at Letham Mains. Planning approval has been granted for 800 new homes nearby after the site was zoned for housing in East Lothian Council’s Local Development Plan. The size and scale of the development meant a new school was required and the council secured agreements with housebuilders to achieve the funding.
Morrison has now been awarded the £8.63 million contract following a competitive tender process. The firm previously worked on the Haddington Primary/ St Mary’s Primary joint campus and is in the finishing stages of the new Wallyford Primary.
Councillor Shamin Akhtar, the council’s cabinet member for education said, “Work is well underway at Letham Mains to provide 800 new homes, including affordable houses, for our community. I’m pleased that the contract has been awarded for Letham Primary School and this important part of the development can move forward. I look forward to following its progress.”
Letham Primary will have classes suitable for both pre-school and primary teaching, a dining hall, social space and a two-court PE hall with retractable seating. The external areas will be designed for outdoor learning, PE and play.
Work is due to start on site in February, with an estimated completion date of summer 2020.
Fiona Robertson, head of education at East Lothian Council commented, “We routinely secure developer contributions to fund the expansion of public facilities that will be impacted. This can include extensions to schools or the development of community and sports facilities. The scale of the development at Letham Mains requires the provision of a new school so we have worked to secure the necessary contributions from the developers to bring forward this key requirement without impacting on the council’s capital budget.
“We are pleased to be able to announce that Morrison Construction will be building the new school and look forward to them starting on site in February.”
