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Community council slams superschool site plan


By Jamie Hall

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Tain Royal Academy
Tain Royal Academy

PLANS for a new multimillion-pound "superschool" on the site of Tain Royal Academy have been blasted as "wholly inappropriate" by the local community council.

Highland Council has proposed the site of the existing school for the new campus, which would incorporate Tain Royal Academy (TRA) as well as Craighill Primary School, Knockbreck Primary School and St Duthus Special School.

That is despite 53 per cent of respondents listing the site as their last choice in a survey conducted by Tain Community Council and Tain and Easter Ross Civic Trust.

Now, in the latest twist in the long-running saga, the community council has used its official response to Highland Council’s proposal to brand the TRA site as unsuitable for such a large development.

The group has claimed that none of their concerns have been addressed and insisted that it would not support a development on the TRA site under any circumstances.

A community council spokesman said: "The community council has also monitored very closely other community events where it has been made perfectly clear there is no community-wide support for the TRA site, principally due to its limited size and it already being an operational school.

"We perceive the amenity and educational impacts to be too significant and permanent.

"As the community council most affected by the site selection process, it is our considered position we cannot in any circumstance support the TRA site for the proposed campus use."

The community council raised a number of concerns in a formal response to the proposal relating to the reduction in play space despite a vast increase in the number of pupils, as well as other issues including the "chaotic" traffic levels.

The only remaining alternative site for the campus, which would cater for pupils from the ages of three to 18, is at the existing Craighill Primary after proposals for developments at Asda and Kirksheaf were shelved – despite being significantly more popular with survey respondents than TRA.

Only 21 per cent listed the academy either first or second in their response.

The community council has now thrown its support behind Craighill as its preferred option for the development due to the larger capacity of the site, potential transport links and proximity to key residential areas.

The spokesman added: "Serious questions remain over the impacts the TRA development would have on neighbouring amenity, traffic, drainage, noise, educational disturbance and lack of future expansion space.

"We feel obliged to place on record our disappointment the Asda and Kirksheaf sites have been removed from the site selection process without tangible justification as they too are potentially superior to the TRA site.

"In the absence of other alternatives, we commend the Craighill site and commit to working with the Highland Council to find an optimum design and layout capable of mitigating any constraints."

Local SNP councillor Derek Louden previously said getting the decision right was crucial as it would impact the town for decades to come.

And he has urged Highland Council to take the community’s views on board when making the final decision about the location of the development.

"There does seem to be a consensus among the community that the Craighill site is the much-preferred option," he said.

"The response to the community council was similar to other surveys which have been carried out.

"I am sure the council will bear in mind what the local community have said, and I’m sure they will take it on board."


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