Milestone in Castlebrae High School project as Planning is approved and project team announced

Plans to deliver a new £28m Castlebrae High School have taken a huge step forward.

Planning permission has been approved for the brand new 700 capacity secondary school (with the potential to extend to 1,200) and the City of Edinburgh Council has announced the team delivering it will be its development partner Hub South East, alongside Morrison Construction as the Tier 1 Contractor.

A planning application was submitted after extensive consultation with educationalists, service users and the local community and approved plans including JM Architects’ design will see a new school built in the centre of Craigmillar, next to the library. Externally there will be a 3G artificial football pitch, which will be available for use by the local community outside school hours as well as a community town square.

Scott Brown, Hub South East’s Project Director said:

“We’re excited to have reached this key milestone of planning approval on the new Castlebrae High School. The new school will not only provide a modern learning estate for pupils and staff, but will be a fantastic asset to the community, contributing to the ongoing regeneration of the area.

“After successfully delivering a new high school campus and several primary school facilities for the Council already, we look forward to working in partnership to make these Castlebrae High plans a reality.”

Councillor Ian Perry, Education Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said:

“It’s great news that this planning application has been given the green light and is a clear sign of our determination to provide young people with a first-class inclusive learning environment. I’m sure the Craigmillar community will be especially delighted as a new school has been discussed for many years but now it really is starting to take shape.

“Work is due to start on the site at the end of the year with the new school opening its doors in August 2021 as the City of Edinburgh Council continues to deliver modern, fit for purpose, learning campuses which are innovatively designed and inspirational places for learning.”

Morrison Construction Managing Director Building Central Eddie Robertson, said:

‘‘We have a proud history of delivering state-of-the-art education facilities. We have a successful working relationship with our partners Hub South East and the City of Edinburgh Council and we look forward to delivering another fantastic project together.

‘‘We are delighted to soon begin work on site. During construction, we will continue our engagement with all stakeholders. As part of our progressive social value programme we will provide education and employment opportunities to ensure this development has a lasting positive impact for the community.’

Early works are expected to start on site by the end of the year, with completion due by the start of the school year in August 2021.