Education chiefs are poised to lodge plans for a new £45million campus to replace all of the schools in Tain.
Under the scheme, the existing Tain Royal Academy and community centre will be bulldozed and replaced with modern facilities.
The new campus will also house the Craighill and Knockbreck primary schools – which will be combined into a single school – and the St Duthus School for children with complex needs.
Highland Council has signalled that it is ready to proceed with the scheme, having lodged a proposal of application notice and arranging a public exhibition and consultation event at the academy on January 25.
A full planning application for the 3-18 Campus is expected to follow this spring, and the local authority hopes it can be operational by August 2019.
Highland Council has £45million set aside in its capital budget for the project, although the final bill is expected to be higher.
Tain councillor Alasdair Rhind chairs the stakeholders group for the scheme and is deputy leader of the local authority.
He said: “It’s a significant investment for Tain and for education provision in Tain.
“We’ve been working with the community and will continue to work with the stakeholders group to get the best possible facilities, not only for education purposes but for leisure purposes.
“I’m very pleased with how things are going. I’m pleased we’re now at the stage where we are consulting on an application.
“The community have always been very supportive. The model has been tried and tested in other areas and has worked well.”
He added: “It’s a significant investment but a very badly-needed investment. Our schools are long past their sell-by-date. Our facilities are not the best for teaching young people.”
Councillors chose the existing academy site as the location for the new facilities in 2014.
The campus model is already being introduced at Wick, although that project has been beset with construction delays, and the building design is also expected to be similar to the recently-completed Inverness Royal Academy.
The proposal of application notice states that the project will involve the demolition of the existing secondary school and community centre, along with the former janitor’s and head teacher’s houses.
A new nursery, primary and secondary schools would then be constructed, as well as a community building to contain sports and library facilities, a floodlit synthetic grass pitch, and parking spaces.
Wendy Hennem, chairwoman of the academy’s parent council, said: “TRA Parent Council welcome the delivery of a modern new campus for Tain and the surrounding community.
“It is hoped that following the lodging of the proposal of application notice, the council will ensure that it engages with all stakeholders on the design and specification of the new campus prior to planning, in order that the new facility meet the needs of current and future generations.”
