A “SUPER CAMPUS” housing two high schools and part of Fife College could be built in Dunfermline – if Fife Council can get a further £20million in capital grants.

The Press has learned that the new campus, expected to cost around £150m, would bring Woodmill and St Columba’s high schools and Fife College’s Dunfermline campus under one roof.

The plans were this week revealed by Councillor Bryan Poole, the council’s education spokesperson, who said he raised the proposal of a “super campus” with the council towards the end of 2014.

He said that while the idea was well-received, the plans are now off the table due to a £20m shortfall – but could be back on the table if the Scottish Government makes the sum available.

The independent councillor told the Press, “The administration leadership via council leader David Ross and depute leader Lesley Laird were enthusiastic about the potential and undertook to look to find and include the council’s share of the project in the forthcoming capital programme.

“Our officials were given approval to have discussions with the Scottish Government and Fife College around the project.

“Both Fife College and the Scottish Government were enthusiastic at the obvious potential. These capital projects depend on the financial support of the Scottish Government. The anticipated share and potential source to be funded by Fife Council was identified.

“Unfortunately, the balance which was required via the Scottish Government couldn’t be identified or made available and the project wasn’t able to stack up financially.

“Without implying any criticism of the Scottish Government – they also have competing priorities on their resources – they weren’t able to find the capital required to enable the project to progress.” He explained that the discussions took place “under the strictest of confidence”, so as not to raise expectations among pupils, parents, staff and the public.

Cllr Poole added, “We didn’t get as far as the details but were looking at the principle rather than the detail and we had enough confidence to go ahead with discussions with the Scottish Government.

“It was a fantastic opportunity and it would have been the only one of its kind in Scotland.

“To be fair to the Scottish Government, they were able to find some money but not enough to go ahead.

“It’s off the table at the present time but if the Scottish Government came along with the money, we would make it happen.

“Fife Council can only do it with the support of the Scottish Government. We haven’t got the money.

“If we get a sniff that we could get some money, we would rejig the capital programme to accommodate it.” Cllr Poole revealed that the super campus would likely be “in the east Dunfermline area somewhere”.

However, he added, “We don’t have the site specifics but a project as big as that, there are only a few sites you’d be looking at.

“We could have used the playing fields of one of the schools but if doing it with the college, we would need a bigger site. For a campus of that size, you would need a huge area.” Cllr Poole said that he had raised the issue after noticing that it had become a General Election topic over the last few weeks.

He explained, “This has been raised during the General Election and I think it’s fair that parents and the public have an idea that Fife Council has been working with the Scottish Government – it’s no fault of the council’s.

“I’m hopeful that once the election is out of the way, we can sit down and see if we can resurrect this.”