Developer saves council making raid on reserves for £66.5m high school

HOUSEBUILDERS are set to save Angus Council millions in the construction of the new £66.5 million Monifieth High School.

The 1,200-pupil secondary is being built beside the current school and is due for completion in August 2025.

And council’s finance director, Ian Lorimer, has said developer contributions will save the authority from dipping too far into its own reserves.

He delivered the Monifieth update as part of a report detailing the council’s capital budget spend for last year. It totalled more than £33m.

Mr Lorimer said that relates to around 91% of the budgeted figure – significantly higher than 70% the previous year.

He told policy committee councillors: “I would specifically highlight the updated assessment in relation to developer contributions for the cost of Monifieth High School.”

The money is a levy on housebuilders to improve local infrastructure.

Mr Lorimer said that in March a project board agreed an updated developers’ contribution figure of £4.8m.

“It compares with £2.7m currently in the council’s capital plan,” he added. “This will result in a compensating £2.1m reduction in the contribution required from general fund reserves originally proposed as part of the funding package.”

A separate report will be brought to councillors on where the £2m-plus will be used. The same report also revealed that the council has received almost £7m from a government fund to repair Storm Babet damage.

The new Monifieth High is the largest single infrastructure project in the history of the council.

Robertson Construction is building the new school on the sports pitches.

Work on the 24-month scheme began last summer. Pupils are due to move in to the new school before the end of 2025.

The current building will then be demolished.

The project’s final cost rose more than £15m from an original £50m estimate.

How the new Monifieth High School will look.