FINANCIAL close has been achieved on plans to deliver a replacement Beatlie School in Livingston.
The £15 million project is being delivered for West Lothian Council by Hub South East, with Morrison Construction appointed as the Tier 1 contractor. This is the same team that delivered the award-winning West Calder High School and more recently the new Calderwood Primary School.
Beatlie School provides specialist education for pupils aged 3-18 with severe and complex support and profound medical needs. The new facility, in its new location at Craigswood in Livingston, will be a centre of excellence for children and young people.
Along with core education facilities for nursery, primary and secondary pupils, plans for the new school, designed by Norr, also include a hydrotherapy pool, two general purpose rooms, a life skills area, multi-purpose hall and sensory garden.
The school will also include assistive technology products designed to help facilitate greater independence for those with mobility issues.
The facility will also boast ‘enhanced’ energy reduction measures and provide parent support facilities, including accommodation for partner agencies and support services including the NHS Child Development Centre (CDC), which currently support pupils throughout West Lothian. NHS Lothian is allocating around £1.5 million to the project to cover the cost of the new CDC facility.
The new Beatlie School campus is being developed with council investment and additional funding as part of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme. Work is set to begin on site mid-June and is expected to be completed by late 2023.
Roddy Clark, Hub South East’s operations director, said, “A great deal of work from all partners has gone into the development and design of this project in the background, so reaching financial close is a significant milestone in making the new Beatlie School a reality. Hub South East is proud to continue to be entrusted with the delivery of West Lothian Council’s investment in its learning estate and we’re particularly excited about this project in relation to its innovative use of assistive technology.
“The new state-of-the-art facility has been designed to be intuitive and meet the complex needs of the pupils, as well as being a joyful and stimulating environment which will allow the young people of Beatlie to continue to thrive.”
West Lothian’s executive councillor for education. Andrew McGuire, added, “Financial close is an important step forward in the journey to deliver a fantastic new home for Beatlie School. The state-of-the-art facility will make a positive impact on the lives of local young people when it opens next year.”
David Ewing, MD for Morrison Construction Building Central, commented, “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with West Lothian Council and Hub South East to create another inspirational learning space for young people in the region. Working together, we have an excellent track record of creating fantastic school buildings and we look forward to adding to this at Beatlie.”
