PLANS for the future of Tobermory’s 2-18 campus are set to take another step forward as councillors are asked to approve it as a ‘relevant proposal’.
Argyll and Bute Council is required to consult the public on its proposal to site the new school building at Tobermory South, which was decided at a full council meeting in March.
A public meeting will take place at the current school building in September, which will also be the deadline for responses to the consultation if councillors agree.
The draft consultation document will go before the council’s community services committee at its meeting on Thursday, June 5.
The document said: “Given current Tobermory Campus is assessed to be ‘C – poor’ in terms of suitability there is a requirement to improve the situation. This is currently the only school building in Argyll and Bute with that suitability rating.
“The lower grading of Tobermory Campus building is largely driven by accessibility, restrictive drop off space, lack of social spaces and restricted specialised classes. The building currently sits at 41.91 per cent incline with little scope to improve this.
“Analysis of the council expenditure on the campus also highlights a trend of increasing reactive or maintenance spend and a sizable sum of investment on addressing degrading fabric at the school over the past five years. Roof works, water ingress and building fabric repairs are common sources of expenditure.
“The condition of the building can be improved from further investment; however, the suitability is much more challenging to be upgraded without significant refurbishment. Such year-on-year construction can be detrimental on both pupils and staff over long periods of time, and/or would require decanting of operations for periods.
“Other environmental (climate change) standards or digital enhancements also remain below the minimum standard compared to a new build LEIP school.
“With the construction of the new purpose-built campus, we anticipate potential benefits for the local communities of the affected schools. These include the current early learning centre, primary and secondary sectors of the campus as well as the associated primary schools of Dervaig, Lochdonhead, Salen, and Ulva Ferry.
“Schools influence the attractiveness of an area for potential residents and, in turn, the value of future housing developments. A new campus in Tobermory may have potential to contribute towards an increase in the value of properties in the area, as well as making it more attractive for families with children to move to the area.
“Community members will benefit from opportunities to access the new sports facilities and library in evenings and weekends at the new campus.”
A public meeting is planned to take place in the existing school building on Tuesday, September 9 at 6pm.
Should the proposal be adopted and the draft consultation be agreed, the consultation would run from August 18 to September 26.
