Aberdeen City Council has launched the search for a contractor to deliver a long-awaited £13million replacement primary school.
Stoneywood Primary is to be replaced, as the existing building – the condition of which has been graded as one of the worst in the city – is at bursting point.
The new school will be built in the grounds of the former Bankhead Academy, which was demolished after a huge fire in 2012.
A contract for the works has now been put out to tender, and includest he construction of a single-storey, 4,000 square-metre building a games hall and multi-use games pitch on the five-acre site.
It is understood the new school will have space for about 430 pupils, as well as extra space for nursery pupils.
Councillors agreed earlier this year to push on the plans, and work is due to be completed in time for the 2017/18 school session.
Public consultations on the school are to be held in late January and early February and a planning application will be submitted to the council thereafter.
Committee member Willie Young said money had been budgeted for the project so “it will definitely, definitely move forward”.
“The Stoneywood school is interesting in that it’s the local authority that will do it [the project] itself,” he said.
“We’re not doing it through HUBCO or anything like that so it makes it easier for us to control the building.”
He added: “The school at Stoneywood will be brand new and that’s what we need to do.
“We need to do that to bring schools into the 21st century.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “We are in the process of finalising the plans so it would not be appropriate to provide more details at this time.”