OGILVIE Construction is to lead the build of a new sports block and teaching space for pupils with additional support needs at Inverness High School, the Highland Council has announced.
The multi-million-pound project will be funded through the Highland Investment Plan – a £2.1 billion, 20-year capital investment programme to improve schools, roads and local infrastructure throughout the region. The plan is funded through a combination of borrowing and a 2% ring-fenced allocation of council tax revenue.
As part of the Highland Investment Plan, all new school buildings will be designed as community points of delivery (PODs), with the flexibility to accommodate education provision alongside other community facilities, council services and partner organisations, within modern, locally accessible community hubs.
The investment at Inverness High School will deliver a new-build sports block with fitness suite and community room; 3G sports pitch; and a dedicated additional support needs base, which will be created in a refurbished space within the current sports block.
Further to this, current modular units, a games hall and a vacant 1970s wing of the building, which are no longer fit for purpose, will be demolished. Access in and out of the school campus will also be improved.
The works have been planned to protect the heritage of the art deco style of the listed building, the Highland Council said. The works are due to commence on site 2027, with a completion date expected in 2030.
The local authority is inviting locals to view the plans at a drop-in event at the school on October 6 between 2pm and 7pm, with a second event on November 17 between 2pm and 7pm.
Chair of the Highland Council’s education committee, councillor John Finlayson, said, “The Inverness High School Community PoD is a key Highland Investment Plan project, which will improve the learning environment for pupils, support health and wellbeing, and create opportunities for the wider community. It is great to reach this important milestone and I look forward to seeing work commence on site next year.”
