Aberdeen council takes keys for new Countesswells school a month ahead of schedule

By Nicola Sinclair

March 3 2023, 12:58 pm

Education convener Martin Greig welcomed delivery of the new school one month ahead of schedule. Image: Aberdeen City Council.

Aberdeen City Council took ownership of the new school on Wednesday 1 March and will now start fitting it out.

It’s a big step forward for the £17 million Countesswells school, which is now running a month ahead of schedule.

When complete, the primary school will serve the new Countesswells community on the western outskirts of the city, where 600 homes have already been built.

It’s an exciting moment for local pupils, who are currently learning at the former Hazlewood School.

Morrison Construction and Hub North architects Halliday Fraser Munro presented keys to the City council two days ago.

It’s the first of two new Aberdeen primary schools being delivered by Hub North Scotland with Morrison as main contractor. The new Torry Primary School and community hub are due for completion later this year.

New school for growing Countesswells community

Education convener Martin Grieg said he’s “delighted” with progress so far.

“We can now begin the process of fitting out the state-of-the-art building, which will be able to accommodate 434 pupils and a further 60 early learning and childcare places,” he said.

“The school will also promote health and wellbeing via outdoor learning facilities and a 3G all-weather pitch.

“The new school will not only benefit children and families but the wider community, allowing for after school access to designated facilities.”

Artist’s impression of the primary school at Countesswells

Morrison boss Mike Bruce said the new school is built to a very high standard. He highlighted that 90% of the works were completed by directly employed tradespeople or local contractors.

“We are delighted with the early completion of Countesswells Primary School, ensuring that its new pupils can start learning within their community sooner rather than travelling into the city,” he said.

Ewen Fowlie, operations director for Hub North Scotland, said the early delivery is testament to the efforts of the project team, particularly Morrison and its sub-contractors.

He added: “Countesswells Primary School is a fantastic facility for this new and growing community. It is a wonderful building which has been completed to a very high standard and will provide the best possible learning setting for generations to come.”