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St Peters RC School could be spared closure amid rethink on moving pupils to Tillydrone

Pupils could be split between the Dunbar Street establishment and the building next door instead.

The Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives are currently located in Old Aberdeen House. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson
The Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives are currently located in Old Aberdeen House. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

Aberdeen’s St Peter’s RC School could be given a reprieve as the council rethinks plans to shut it down and relocate pupils to Tillydrone.

The building had been due to shut, with children relocating to the Riverbank School on Dill Road, instead.

This would happen after pupils from there decant to a replacement Riverbank School currently under construction.

But now, education bosses are considering a rethink.

They’re instead weighing up refurbishing the historic Old Aberdeen House next door, and using it as extra classrooms.

At the moment, some of St Peters’ classrooms are located on its first floor.

This new proposal would allow the school to remain on its current site, meaning the existing Riverbank facility would lie empty.

St Peter’s RC Primary School on Dunbar Street. Image: DC Thomson

The opportunity arose after the Aberdeen Scientific Services Laboratory moved from the Dunbar Street building last year, freeing up more space.

Councillors have now agreed to launch a feasibility study to see if Old Aberdeen House would be able to host pupils in the future.

What is Old Aberdeen House?

St Peter’s provides denominational primary education for children in the north of the city as well as some parts of Aberdeenshire.

It dates back to 1833 but has only been in its current base since 1983.

Some of the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire archives are currently located a few yards away in Old Aberdeen House.

The Dunbar Street facility holds a vast number of historical documents dating as far back as the 12th Century.

It holds everything from minutes, registers, accounts and maps from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Site plan of the proposed changes to Old Aberdeen House. Image: Aberdeen City Council

If the council agrees to move forward with the plan to move St Peter’s, the archives would need to relocate to a new site.

Long-awaited update for Aberdeen school

St Peter’s is the only primary school in the city to have a “poor” rating for its current condition.

Plans to improve the situation there were originally looked at back in 2017.

A move into Old Aberdeen House was considered at the time but eventually ruled out as the facility was fully occupied.

Two years later, the local authority agreed to relocate St Peter’s to the current Riverbank School building.

St Peter’s pupils were expected to move to Riverbank School on Dill Road – but that may not happen under new plans. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

But, the move would only be possible once the new replacement Tillydrone school has opened – currently on target for summer 2024.

Chief officer Stephen Booth explained that if the move to Old Aberdeen House is chosen as the preferred option, St Peter’s pupils would move to the existing Riverbank School while the refurbishment work is underway.

They would then move back to their upgraded site which will be kitted out to be more environmentally friendly.

What changes would be made to Old Aberdeen House?

Under the new proposal, a new two-storey wing would be built to the back of the refurbished Old Aberdeen House.

The site would also have an outdoor dining space and room for a potential community garden or multi-use game area.

Ground floor plans show what the refurbished Old Aberdeen House could look like. Image: Aberdeen City Council

Classrooms would be located on both floors of the building, while the new extension would have a dining room as well as a games hall with changing facilities.

The granite building was put forward as an option as officers said it could be retrofitted to meet current standards.

Mr Booth described the existing Riverbank School as a “hodgepodge of different buildings over different times”.

The first floor of Old Aberdeen House could hold eight classrooms. Image: Aberdeen City Council

He explained it would be cheaper to convert the Dunbar Street site and it would also be easier to meet environmental standards.

An updated business case for the project, including feedback from the study, will go before the committee in November.

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