Builders working on the new Countesswells School have revealed hopes of hitting a new milestone by the middle of next month.
Project leaders say the steel frame of the multi-million-pound building in Aberdeen could be up by mid-February, weather permitting.
The £18.9 million primary – the first being built to serve children in the new community in the west of Aberdeen – is expected to open in 2023.
Morrison Construction won the contract to put up the school, which was planned to come into use last year.
The project is being managed by the city council and its partner Hub North Scotland.
Aberdeen Journals was given exclusive access to the building site late last month to see how the new build is taking shape.
Hub North Scotland’s project director, Peter Ramsay, told us: “Our main contractor Morrison Construction is making good progress on site and, weather permitting, we hope to complete the steel erection around mid-February.”
Troubles at Countesswells Development Ltd could place further school costs on the public
Construction started in mid-November after months of speculation on how the project might be financed due to troubles at housebuilder Countesswells Development Limited (CDL).
Initially priced at £25m, the new primary lurched into jeopardy amid a disagreement between Aberdeen City Council and the construction firm over how much the Stewart Milne-owned business was putting towards the building.
Since the wrangle, CDL has gone into administration; citing the “seismic” effects of oil and gas downturn and the Covid-19 pandemic.
It remains to be seen if the collapse will lump further costs on the local authority.
Only 900 of the more than 3,000 homes planned as part of the £800m Countesswells development have been built or are under construction.
Those will be unaffected by the turmoil, though it remains unclear if more houses will be built in a community once hoped to be home to around 10,000 people.
‘Fantastic’ to see Countesswells School progress
Originally, another primary and a secondary were planned for the development as more homes were built.
But council education convener M Tauqeer Malik said progress on the current building project was “fantastic”.
School pupils are presently expected to travel more than three miles to the former Hazlewood School.
“The new Countesswells School, once built, will provide the potential for enabling people to learn and develop themselves in ways that meet their needs, interests, and ambitions as well as providing a central hub for the community,” Mr Malik added.
“I’m sure local residents, including the youngsters who will be attending the new school, will enjoy watching the school being built in the coming months.”
