The creation of a “superschool” in Tain will take a step forward this week if councillors agree with the two sites recommended by council officers.
Tain 3-18 will replace existing provision at Tain Royal Academy, Craighill Primary, Knockbreck Primary and St Duthus Special School.
After consultation over four potential sites in the town, the two contenders for Tain 3-18 are now the existing site of Tain Royal Academy (TRA) and the site of Craighill primary school.
If councillors approve, the two sites will be put out for statutory consultation and a public meeting will be held to discuss the proposals.
The council would consider a final recommendation in December, with a decision being made by the Scottish Government in February 2019.
Pre-consultations have revealed a strong public preference for the Craighill site, but TRA is also included as it was the single site option chosen by the council in 2014 and approved by Scottish ministers in May 2015.
A stop was put on the project in 2017 when the public expressed concerns about the suitability of the TRA site, and there was a renewed assessment, looking at four potential sites, TRA, Craighill, Burgage and Kirksheaf, with council officers now recommending TRA and Craighill.
Tain councillors differ in their views, with Alasdair Rhind supporting the existing site of TRA.
He said: “We are where we are, we’ve got to try and get the site selected and plans developed, a planning application in and show the Scottish Government and the Highland Council that everybody’s singing off the same hymn sheet.”
Councillor Fiona Robertson said: “I’ve always preferred the Craighill site, it’s bigger for a start and it’s also very near to the health centre, the care home, it’s creating a community hub if we were to build the school there.
“Craighill primary is recognised as the worst school building in the Highlands, we need to replace it soon, one of our other primaries is capped now and can’t take more pupils; our academy has no disabled access at all, the heating system doesn’t work, the windows leak, and the stairs are held together with tape.
“Our special school St Duthus is on a temporary site where it was only mean to be for a couple of years, and we don’t have enough room for our nursery provision. There’s a demand and need for every element of this joint campus.”