The £1.7 million renovation of a north-east secondary school has been given the green light by Aberdeenshire Council planners.
Turriff Academy will benefit from upgrades to its drama department, gymnasiums and pupil toilets as well as the creation of a fitness suite and new pupil breakout areas.
There will also be repairs and maintenance to windows and facades on the site’s north wing, on School Lane, the ground level of the west wing on Victoria Street, and the gymnasium area on Victoria Terrace.
New Art-deco steel frame windows will be installed, with the north wing cladding coloured with red and rubble patterns to compliment the sandstone used elsewhere in the town centre.
An existing lean-to office building which is subsiding, will be demolished.
The package of improvements, created and submitted by the local authority to its planning department in June, aim to breathe new life into the deteriorating school building, built in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Officials had highlighted a list of problems, indicating that parts of the building’s exterior were crumbling.
Some windows were no longer wind and watertight, others failed to open and close fully, and some single-glazed panes were fragile and could easily break.
The council’s architect, Lynn McGowan, said: “A balanced decision was struck for the brief between necessary repairs, maintenance and improvement of the buildings, and also the need to carefully manage improvements within an education setting while improving suitability.
“Works were prioritised to areas of the building seen as being in the poorest condition and that would benefit most from renovation.
“The intention is not only to repair but to also provide a safe, modern and aesthetically pleasing education setting and workplace.”
Councillors on the Formartine Area Committee have set aside £1,682,000 for the works, with just over £1 million of that coming from its repairs and maintenance budget and a further £670,000 from the education and children’s services enhancement pot.
