Posted on 11 Jul 2007

Community High School and Library Set To Become 'Jewels in The Crown' of the New Craigmillar

PARC is to invest around £30 million in a brand new community High School and public library for Craigmillar.

The new school will have capacity for up to 700 pupils and will be one of the most technologically advanced anywhere in Edinburgh.

Consultation with the local community on how the new school will look will begin later this year. Construction work will begin in 2009, with the new school opening for the start of the school year in 2011.

The new school will form an important part of the redeveloped Craigmillar town centre, and be based at a new site off Niddrie Mains Road. Together with the public library and new sports facilities, it will be at the very heart of PARC's regeneration of the Craigmillar area, serving a wide range of needs for the entire community.

As well as providing a top class educational facility, the school and library will also will be a major benefit for the wider community, providing opportunities for education, recreation and entertainment in the evenings and the weekends.

John Quinn, PARC's General Manager says: "The new High School and public library will be one of the jewels in the crown of the regeneration of Craigmillar.

"More than 3,000 new homes are set to be built in the area, which is expected to double to current population of Craigmillar to more than 15,000 people. This population needs and deserves the very best facilities the Capital can offer.

"Central to the whole regeneration process is the need for top quality educational and learning opportunities. We can build new homes and create wonderful open spaces - but education and learning will the driving force behind creating a sustainable, long-lasting vibrant local community.
"The new High School and public library will build on the excellent work already achieved in the area by the existing schools, and will set the standards for the rest of the city to follow."

When it opens in 2011, the school will replace the existing Castlebrae Community High School in helping to serve the education needs of the Craigmillar area. PARC is shortly to start work on a new sports pavilion with state-of-the-art football pitches next to the current school's site.

Grace Vickers, Depute Head Teacher of Castlebrae Community High School says: "This is a fantastic opportunity to build on the considerable success we have enjoyed here at Castlebrae.

"We are all looking forward to working closely with PARC and its design team in helping shape the new school and making sure there will be a seamless transition from the old to the new - for pupils, parents and teachers alike.

"Central to this will be the pupils and parents themselves, whose views, experiences and opinions will help drive forward plans for the new school. These are exciting times for Castlebrae as opportunities to help design and take forward a fantastic new school from scratch don't come around very often."

Welcoming plans for the public library, Grace McCaig, Community Libraries Manager adds: "The new library will provide a much needed replacement for the existing facility. It will include an extended range of services and innovative modern facilities and will benefit from a great high street location… in fact everything the people of Craigmillar will want from a 21st century library."

PARC has now appointed a Design Team for the new High School and public library. Award-winning London-based architects John McAslan & Partners, who have a successful track record of designing schools across the UK, will now start working on initial designs.

These will form part of a wide-ranging consultation process spearheaded by PARC, working closely with community groups as well as children, parents and teachers from Castlebrae High School and primary schools in the area.

Councillor Mrs Marilyne MacLaren, Convenor for Education, Children and Families, at the City of Edinburgh Council adds:

"The Council is committed to continuing to provide excellent learning opportunities for the children of Craigmillar, and the wider community.

"We look forward to working with PARC over the next four years to provide a new learning establishment of which the whole city can be proud."

Ends July 11 2007

Issued on behalf of PARC by Weber Shandwick, public relations consultants. For more information, interviews and images contact John MacNeil or Richard Bright on 0131 556 6649 or 07770 886 928 / 914.

Read next: Regeneration boosts job and business opportunities for Craigmillar

Read previous: PARC Plans Green Gateway for Craigmillar