Published: Thursday, 21st August, 2008 08:10
New primary to be built on high school playing fields
By Gary Fitzpatrick
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ST COLUMBA’S High School faces losing a large part of its playing fields to accommodate a new primary school.
The Dunfermline school’s sports fields have been identified as the best site by education officers struggling to cope with the housing boom in the eastern expansion.
Miscalculations in predicting the spaces required have left the council with a race against time to build another school and officers claim the St Columba’s pitches are “the only viable option”.
The recommendation will go before the council’s education and children’s committee today (Thursday) and the new school needs to be open by August 2010.
Labour councillors will argue that the school should be built at South Fod, Halbeath, to help breathe new life into the village.
The new school would be two-stream (two classes for each year) and there would also be a nursery taking 70 children in the morning and another 70 in the afternoon.
It would take up a five-acre site currently grassed and on the eastern part of the playing fields.
Building work would last at least ten months and head of education Ken Greer said, “Obviously in a project like this there will always be some disruption.”
If the St Columba’s plan goes ahead the high school would have an all-weather sports pitch built in its remaining grounds.
St Columba’s is the cheapest option, incurring no costs for land compared to figures of £6 million, £3.5 million, £1.5 million and £1 million for other sites considered.
The other ‘free’ option was the playing fields of Woodmill High School – where the primary’s pupils will eventually go – but this site was considered to be “too narrow”.
Education chair Councillor Douglas Chapman admitted that the time pressure was a major factor in St Columba’s being picked ahead of other sites where there may have been more complications delaying the process.
Asked if that was down to poor planning Mr Chapman said, “If the previous administration had taken the decision back in 2001/2 the problem would not have arisen.”
The council has been caught out by a higher number of youngsters moving into the eastern expansion area than had been forecast.
At Masterton – capacity 342 – the 2008 roll is 304 but the requirement would rise to 485 by 2010 and 653 by 2014. At Duloch, the capacity of 459 would also be unable to cope with a projected roll requirement of 595 in 2010 and 928 in 2014, the predicted peak year.
Even with the new primary there would be an estimated shortfall of 346 places in the Duloch/Masterton catchment area.
The council’s dual strategy is to use spare capacity at the long-established schools in the area such as Canmore, Pitreavie, Touch, Commercial, Pitcorthie and Lynburn.
However, officials admit there is an element of guesswork involved and the severe building slow-down caused by the credit crunch may reduce the capacity demands.
Labour’s education spokesman Willie Sullivan said, “If I had children going to St Columba’s, I wouldn’t be happy to see the school lose half its playing fields.
“This is at a time when we are supposed to be trying to encourage pupils to participate more in sport.
“I would like to see the new school located in Halbeath, which is a community struggling at the moment, losing its post office and its local pub.
“Youngsters are currently bussed to Crossgates and having the new school in Halbeath would breath new life into the community.
“The argument against South Fod is that the land is zoned for housing and the council would lose that money but with the housing slump who knows if and when that will happen?”
Councillor Chapman said, “As part of a record investment which will see six new schools for Fife, we have already committed to building a new Dunfermline High School and we are about to consult on a new primary school in the eastern part of Dunfermline.
“What we want to do now is make sure that the new primary is in the right place, takes the weight off schools like Masterton and Duloch and helps secure the future for other primaries in eastern Dunfermline where schools rolls are falling.
“If the committee agrees the recommendation then that decision will trigger a 28-day consultation.”
Education executive director Ken Greer said, “An unprecedented number of children of nursery and P1 age have moved into the Dunfermline East area and this has put pressure on the existing school.
“We have carried out extensive appraisal of a number of options but in order to deliver the school for 2010 the site which currently forms part of the grounds of St Columba’s is the only viable option.”
St Columba’s rector Jim Mooney said, “Although we would be losing part of our playing fields, we would be gaining an all-weather playing area, which is very much welcomed by the PE staff.
“There are also to be improved changing facilities. The playing fields are on a slope and are often waterlogged and can’t be used.
“With the new term just starting, I haven’t had the chance to speak to the parents council yet.
“There will be safety issues that will have to be addressed but I believe the construction work will be happening far enough away from our building not to cause much disruption.”
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