Back on track: Riverbank School to open in summer 2024

Work resumes on replacement Tillydrone school after retendering saves public purse £6million

By Calum Petrie

March 29 2023, 12:50 pm

An artist impression of the replacement Riverbank School in Tillydrone. Image: Aberdeen City Council

The replacement Riverbank School in Tillydrone is ‘expected to open in summer 2024’ according to Aberdeen City Council.

And the local authority confirmed it had saved the public purse £6million following a retendering process.

The council agreed to retender the project last summer following concerns over increasing construction costs.

Construction on the Tillydrone site was paused in August 2022 after the total project cost increased to £36.2 million – nearly £10 million more than initially budgeted.

But now a new contract has been agreed upon, the local authority has revealed work is now ongoing.

At today’s meeting of the finance and resources committee, convener Alex McLellan confirmed that the “expectation is still summer 2024” for completion.

This would allow pupils to move into the new school in time for the start of the 2024-25 school year.

‘A hellish nightmare’

Councillor Ross Grant expressed concern over how set in stone summer 2024 was as a completion date for Riverbank School.

“Moving in a few weeks late in September or even October would be a hellish nightmare for the school community,” he said.

Councillor Alex Nicoll said providing such a guarantee would be “bordering on the impossible” given the number of variables, citing snowstorms in May in recent times. “It would be akin to putting a noose around our own neck,” he added.

But Mr Nicoll, and a majority of the committee, expressed optimism over the forecast opening date.

He said the new school being on track to open next summer was “a real good news story.”

‘Tillydrone kids getting the school they deserve’

And education convener Martin Greig said it would provide “the quality of environment that the young people of Tillydrone deserve.”

Mr Greig further noted that the £6m saved following retendering represented “a very significant saving.”

The new Riverbank School is located on the site of the former Tillydrone Infant School and also on part of the former St Machar Primary School site.

It will comprise a three-stream primary school with Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) provision. The project includes a 3G sports pitch as well as outdoor play and learning facilities.