Concern over plans to build a new £120 million Midlothian high school with a main road running through the site have been raised by its local community council.
Detailed plans for the new Beeslack High School at Easter Bush are due to go before councillors on Monday next week with officers recommending they give them the green light.
But a report on the proposals reveals concerns have been raised by Roslin and Bilston Community Council over plans to split the new facilities over two fields on either side of a road, which they say will only get busier.
The community council also questioned whether alternative sites had been properly considered.
The planned new secondary school will have capacity for 1600 pupils and include a swimming pool, separate additional supports needs building and a vet clinic on the land which will be used by the Dick Vet.
The buildings are planned for land to the west of Seafield Moor Road at the site with planned sports pitches attached to the school to be built on land on the east of the road.
The community council said it did not object to the principal of a new school, but did object to the current proposal.
They said: “The location of the proposed school is unsatisfactory in a number of ways, not least having a campus that is split by a main road, a road that is due to become even busier in a few years’ time.
“With so much public money at stake, the need for a thorough site search is irrefutable. Until there has been an open, professional site search with opportunity for public participation, including participation in drawing up the terms of reference and in the assessment process, planning permission
for the present proposal must not be granted.”
Planning officers said four sites had originally been considered before the Easter Bush location was chosen adding: “When assessing a planning application, the planning authority must assess whether the proposal is acceptable at that location. It is not within the planning authority’s remit to identify alternative sites for a proposal as part of the assessment of a planning application.”
Their report revealed one objection from an individual had been lodged to the plans relating to a lack of urinals in the school building and questioning whether it met the standards required but said it was not a planning matter with the allocation of toilet facilities to different sets of pupils “an operational matter for the Education Authority”.
Recommending the plans for approval officers said: “The site is located on two sites allocated for development in the Midlothian Local Development Plan and will provide a facility that will enable the council to meet statutory education requirements.”
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
