Caithness councillors vote to demolish and rebuild Thurso High School block
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Caithness councillors have voted in favour of demolishing and rebuilding Thurso High School's closed-off Block A at a cost of £7.5 million.
The three-storey extension dating from the 1960s has been out of use since significant structural defects were found just over seven months ago.
The proposal to demolish and rebuild was the most expensive of four options put before a meeting of Highland Council's Caithness Committee on Monday.
Members voted four to three in favour of it, after the motion was submitted by Councillor Andrew Jarvie and seconded by Councillor Matthew Reiss.
The other options set out in a report from the executive chief officer for housing and property were demolition, costing £1.2 million; structural remedial works and refurbishment, at £6.2m; and mothballing the block in its current state, which would involve £50,000 of initial costs and ongoing revenue costs of between £1000 and £2000 a year.
Councillor officers' recommended option was to demolish the block "and make good the site and adjoining blocks".
On the option to demolish and rebuild, the report stated: "Given the relatively high cost of this option, and the condition and risk management challenges associated with the remaining buildings on the campus, this would not be the best value option if a completely new build to replace all the buildings was considered to be the preferred long-term solution. A master plan to look at the longer-term campus options will be developed."
Councillor Jarvie, a non-aligned member for Wick and East Caithness, told the meeting that it would be "illogical" not to spend the extra money to create a new building after demolishing the old one.
He estimated that a replacement for the whole school would realistically be "10-plus years" away.
Speaking afterwards, Councillor Jarvie said: “It is impossible to overstate just how serious this incident and closure is. This is the first time I have seen a council building condemned and closed due to structural defects.
"Councillors were presented four options – two that involved fixing nothing and two that would have restored the space which has been lost.
“There has been more than classrooms which have been lost, it’s the social spaces too. The reason why I pushed for the option to demolish the old block and rebuild a new one is quite simple: why should we settle for any less than restoring what was there and in as quick a time as possible?
“I cannot think of anything more insulting to the people of Caithness, when faced with crumbling roads and now buildings too, that any Caithness councillor would think the best option was to spend over £1m to simply rip down part of a school.
"I am sick and tired that those who run this council think that the solution to every imminent crisis is to hold workshops, to design fanciful ‘long-term plans’ which will never happen because the council doesn’t want to spend the money.
“On Monday, too much of the justification to do nothing was that it would prevent a new school being built in the future. How on earth am I supposed to accept that this council would pay for a whole new school when it won’t even fill in potholes?
"If the bare minimum can’t be done, it’s hard to see promises of more as a distraction."
Councillor Reiss (independent, Thurso and Northwest Caithness), said after the meeting: "The officers had no option but to recommend demolition because the building is in such a precarious state.
"It's very important that Highland Council sends out a message to Caithness, one of its most remote areas, that the council is serious about supporting the area. Having a good secondary school is part of trying to reverse the depopulation.
"It's obvious the Scottish Government and Highland Council don't have the money for a new high school. In fact if you look at the council's 15-year medium-term financial plan, there are no new schools for Thurso anywhere on that list."
Councillor Reiss estimates that it would cost between £70 million and £90m to build a new school.
"I think the public are drawing their own conclusions about the true state of the country and Highland Council's finances," he added.
The issue came to light in October 2022 following a routine site inspection. Structural engineers identified potential concerns over the condition of the concrete frame in the extension block, which is adjacent to Ormlie Road.
Alternative arrangements were put in place to accommodate the affected classes, with the rest of the school campus remaining operational.
The report pointed out that the block remains closed to staff and pupils.
Temporary modular accommodation was installed in December, and at the start of this year the housing and property committee approved a recommendation to install eight modular classrooms at an estimated cost of £2 million. These units are being made and are expected to be ready for occupation in October.
In November, Councillor Karl Rosie (SNP, Thurso and Northwest Caithness) urged the local authority to be ambitious and commit to building a new Thurso High School.
He called on his ward colleagues to work with him and external partners to deliver a replacement for the existing complex.
Councillor Rosie said at the time he had long pushed for a new school in the town, adding: “The opportunity is there to work in partnership."
A Highland Council spokesperson said: "Until funding can be identified we are unable to provide any details of timescales."
The school, which has around 700 pupils, was officially opened in October 1958.
It is the most northerly secondary on the British mainland, serving Thurso and the surrounding rural area, including the villages of Castletown, Halkirk and Reay.
