School build to start despite £4m cost increase

Work will begin on a new school for Earlston despite rising costs

Work is set to start on a new primary school in the Scottish Borders despite a £4.3m increase in costs.

Inflationary pressures have been blamed for the price of the Earlston project rising from £12.3m to £16.6m.

Despite the added budget pressure, members of Scottish Borders Council voted unanimously to give the development the green light.

David Parker, who is one of the local councillors, said the community would be pleased to see the commitment to the scheme.

The new school will replace the old building in the town

"It's been a real challenge keeping schools within a manageable budget," he said.

"But the council has taken a very sensible and pragmatic approach to make sure that we finance these projects and continue with their delivery even if that takes us a little bit longer to achieve.

"The fact is that everyone in Earlston is completely supportive of the new primary school and community hub and they will be delighted that that investment has been agreed."

He said it would have a wider impact than simply an educational one.

"It's a marvellous regeneration project because it absolutely regenerates the town centre," he said.

"It creates much better landscaping, a whole new road layout, significant additional parking and it genuinely makes a huge visual improvement into the town centre of Earlston.

"It really is a tranformational project for that community."

Mr Parker said work would start on Monday and the school would hopefully be ready for August 2024.