New school could be built for Western Gateway.

PLANNING: Housing scheme to increase demand on schools, prompting consideration of new-build options

A new housing development to the west of Dundee could lead to the first new secondary school in the city in 40 years.

Springfield Properties has submitted plans to build additional houses at its Dykes of Grey development, also referred to as the Western Gateway.

The company wants to build as many as 700 new homes in the area, which would make new classroom space a necessity.

Dundee City Council has identified the need for a new primary school to cover the volume of children expected to be brought up in the area. This would have to be built by 2022, according to reports.

Because of the size of the development, neighbouring local authorities Angus and Perth and Kinross have also identified the need for a new secondary school.

Springfield has proposed two options to Dundee City Council as potential solutions to educational needs at the site – building a primary school or building a combined education campus, which would encompass a pre-school nursery, primary and secondary school.

The combined campus would be built in conjunction with Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross councils, with a wider catchment area, while the primary school would be operated by Dundee City Council.

The housebuilder has set aside developer contributions of £4,680 per new home built, which would go towards building a new school.

Paul Clancy, executive director of children and families services for Dundee City Council, recently told members that discussions between the local authorities had taken place and a report into any new development would be “forthcoming” in the “very near future”.

The Western Gateway is currently in the Ardler Primary and Baldragon Academy catchment areas. The schools are just over four and five miles away respectively and parents have put in placement requests for schools in Angus and Perth and Kinross.

In addition to the school buildings, Springfield has factored in the construction of a library and sports complex for residents.

The application to begin phase two of the Western Gateway development was submitted earlier this week.

It is likely the city council’s planning committee will meet in the new year to discuss the development.

A computer-generated image of how the new housing will look at the Western Gateway.