Cost of a new £100m high school could have financial repercussions

AN eye-watering £40 million price hike for a new Dundee secondary school could have financial repercussions across the city, a teaching union has warned.

Work on the East End Community Campus, which will accommodate pupils from Craigie High and Braeview Academy, is expected to begin next month.

But the initial £60m price tag has rocketed to £100m since the plan was first revealed two years ago, new council papers reveal.

It means the building will cost significantly more than Dundee Waterfront’s £80.1m V&A museum.

The museum’s complex and unique curved-wall design is world renowned for its architecture and considered a feat of engineering. It was completed in 2018 before record inflation hit the UK.

Local Education Institute of Scotland representative David Baxter says he recognises the urgent need for the school.

But he has been left taken aback by the inflated costs, put down to Brexit, the Covid-19 response and the war in Ukraine.

He fears the council will struggle to afford it.

The new campus has been described as a crucial development for closing the attainment gap and improving education overall for local pupils.

The council says the increase in costs is being “partly funded” by the Scottish Government, which is expected to contribute £40m, meaning the council needs to pay the bulk.

Work is expected to start next month, with the building due for completion in July 2025.

The school will be located at Drumgeith Road on the former site of St Saviours High School.

Council leader John Alexander has described it as “more than a school” and a “focus for the whole community”.

A special meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee will meet on Monday to approve a report detailing the increased costs.

Work is due to begin in April and be complete in 2025.