£100m investment plan for Thurso schools gets go-ahead
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An investment plan that aims to raise £2 billion for major investments across the Highlands including a new Thurso High School has been approved.
Councillors approved the Highland Investment Plan on Thursday, which the local authority says will be worth £2 billion over the next 20 years.
It is described as a “radical solution” to a number of challenges facing the council, including much-needed investment in schools, roads, housing and community facilities.
The funding is aimed at addressing the poor condition of 92 schools in the Highlands which are rated poor or bad for condition and/or suitability.
This includes Thurso High, which had its A-block closed in October 2022 due to concerns over faulty concrete. Pupils have since been using alternative arrangements and temporary modular accommodation has been installed at a cost of £2 million.
The new investment plan would see between £80 million and £100 million spent on a new secondary school for Thurso, for around 750 pupils, plus three primary schools in the catchment area for more than 600 pupils.
Highland Council says this plan is one of the major projects which will be prioritised in the initial phase, over the next 10 years.
Council leader and Wick and East Caithness councillor Raymond Bremner said: “In addition to improving our school estate, the planned investment will help to address the on-going challenges we face in maintaining over 4000 miles of Highland roads and sustaining rural communities.
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“The previous three years have seen increased funding for the roads capital programme. The capital review of September 2023 provided roads additional capital investment of £7.8 million over five years and in March, members agreed another £40 million over three financial years.
“A long-term investment programme for roads and transportation will ensure a sustainable approach to investment, contractor procurement, and opportunities to attract match funding from developer contributions or other external funding sources. There will also be significant local contracting and business opportunities and wider community economic benefit associated with the delivery of the investment plan.”
Place-based projects will see money spent on redeveloping education and community facilities across a number of towns, including Thurso, in addition to housing, infrastructure and depots.
Initial seed-funding of £2.8 million will create £50 million of capital to start the investment fund. Ringfencing 2 per cent on council tax each year will generate capital to maintain the funding plan over the long-term. The funding will be agreed each year by the council as part of the budget setting process.
Convener of the council Bill Lobban said: “What is proposed is a ground-breaking, long-term infrastructure investment programme for the Highland area, which will create jobs and economic prosperity across the region and constitute transformative change over the next 10 years.
“It is a radical solution to the significant challenges we face in maintaining and renewing our asset base. The Highland Investment Plan responds to the widespread public support for further investment in the school estate, as well as emerging critical issues that we face in dealing with schools with RAAC and HACC. We cannot simply rebuild schools like for like, and where possible, we will explore retrofit and co-location opportunities.
“Importantly, we are seeking to maximise our spending power to create innovative Community Points of Delivery for a wider range of public services in one location that can meet wider community needs as part of a strategic plan for communities.”
