Upgrade planned for Caldervale High School

Sep 2 2009 by Judith Tonner, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

A LARGER budget has now been made available for the modernisation of Caldervale High School under the first phase of the Schools and Centres 21 initiative.

The Airdrie school will now benefit from an upgrade worth £24m after North Lanarkshire Council negotiated discounts and came in under budget on some of the other projects in the scheme.

Balfour Beatty have been appointed as the contractor to work on the Towers Road school.

The same company will also be responsible for the proposed St Ambrose and Drumpark High Schools campus planned for a controversial site at Drumpellier Park.

Greenhill and Drumpark Primaries will relocate together to the former Coatbridge High building on Albert Street.

The C-listed sandstone building will be modernised at a cost of £12.7m by Graham Construction to accommodate the two sets of pupils.

During the tender process, companies also offered the option of a brand new building but the council’s learning and leisure services committee were informed: “It was clear that educational compromises (would be) required because of the restricted site.”

Meanwhile, a standalone building to house Dunbeth nursery centre will be built beside Jackson flats in Coatbridge.

Contractor Morgan Ashurst will provide the new facility at a cost of £2.5m.

The joint campus for Alexandra and Rochsolloch Primaries in Cairnhill has now also been put out to tender. The expected cost is £14m.

North Lanarkshire Council’s target budget for the 10 phase-one projects is £250m, of which £82m has still to be secured.

They plan to bring in a further £43m from capital receipts and £25m from savings among other sources.

Councillors are also preparing to make “a strong case” for a share of £800m in new government funding, which is due to be allocated this month.