The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Public test out options for town’ s new school
Proposals for the new Forres Academy have provoked heated debates in the town for and against the potential locations.
Moray Council started off with eight options and has now narrowed it down to two final candidates for residents to have their say on.
One is at Roysvale Park, next to Applegrove Primary School and near the current site, and the other is on the eastern outskirts of the town at Lochyhill next to the A96 Aberdeen to Inverness road.
Deliberations about which one to choose have focused on topics such as flooding concerns, access to transport, traffic concerns and the cost of buying the new site.
The case for a new Forres Academy has become more urgent in the last year after potentially dangerous Raac concrete was confirmed at the school.
One of the most contentious points about the new Forres Academy project has been the revelation it will cost £4 million to buy the land for the Lochyhill site.
Some have accused Moray Council of revealing the figure in an attempt to encourage people back the Roysvale location because it is cheaper.
The additional cost is due to the Lochyhill site, which is currently used for farming, being owned by multiple private landowners while the Roysvale site is owned by the council.
Andy Hall, Moray Council’s acting head of education resources, said: “The construction cost for both is broadly the same but the differential is the land acquisition.
“With the Lochyhill site we will be the first developer on the land, so there will also be a requirement to improve the roads, both from the A96 and access roads.”
Concerns about repeated flooding in Roysvale Park have been raised since it emerged as a potential location.
Residents say they are worried drainage problems there could affect any new build on the land.
Nick Molnar, who attended the consultation at Forres Town Hall, said: “I’m not coming at it from wanting a Nimby (not in my back yard) answer. It’s not about me preferring it, it’s making sure there’s an answer to a structural engineering question.”
Mr Hall accepted the Roysvale site had a historical flooding issue, but explained that the Lochyhill site also had issues that needed addressed.
He said: “With these projects we design them to be able to withstand a onein-200-year event so it’s a very high standard.
“Both sites will need robust drainage plans and they will be taken forward as part of the design process.”
Residents near Roysvale Park have raised concerns the existing road network will not be able to cope with the new Forres Academy and Applegrove Primary being so close.
Initial drawings show a coach drop-off zone at the school.
However, the school car park itself will be the opposite side of a football pitch and running track, raising concerns that drivers will instead opt for on-street options.
Gordon Masson and Pearl Smart, who run a business near the site, fear there will be significant congestion in the area.
Mrs Smart said: “Extra traffic needs parking. At the moment it’s already very busy and if you’re going to have two schools in the one place, then that’s going to be double.”
Moray Council says a traffic survey will be carried out.
Some parents attending the consultation event had questions about school transport to the Lochyhill site. Moray Council says it will continue to adhere to the two-mile policy for pupils to be eligible to get transport.
The only exception at the moment is for Elgin Academy and Elgin High School, where a three-mile limit applies.
The new school will have an indicative capacity of 1,240 pupils, an increase of 119 from the current Forres Academy.
A consultation remains ongoing with responses to an online survey accepted until Thursday.