Announcement due on funding for Dumfries Academy redevelopment

Long-awaited news could finally arrive next week on funding for a multi-million pound redevelopment of Dumfries Academy.

Dumfries and Galloway Council’s education chiefs, councillors, and school staff and parents have all been patiently waiting on an announcement from the Scottish Government about cash provision for the school redevelopment to go ahead.

The council is banking on the Scottish Government to stump up half the cost of the redevelopment project – which could be in excess of £20m – and Holyrood ministers were expected to confirm a figure six months ago.

An update report on the matter will be presented at the council’s education committee next week. It reads: “The end of June 2023 has been indicated as a possible announcement date and members will be informed of the outcome at the next education and learning committee meeting in September.

“Whilst the design team, through the strategic support services, remain paused, the council project team continue to engage with the school around testing and challenging the operational models and gathering further information through school staff on the proposed new build and refurbishment elements of the project.”

The level of funding provided by the Scottish Government will determine the scale of the upgrade at Dumfries Academy. A total of £23.6m has already been set aside for the relocation of Loreburn Primary to the secondary school site.

Earlier this year, the council’s property services chiefs admitted that the project was also running into problems due to rising construction costs. It was estimated that these inflationary pressures have resulted in the school upgrade being projected to be £2.7m over the budget before a brick is laid.

Council chiefs explained that steel prices have risen by 60 percent since 2020, while mechanical, electrical and plumbing prices have more than doubled in some cases.

The council aims to complete the Dumfries Academy redevelopment and Loreburn Primary relocation by the summer of 2025 under phase two of its Dumfries Learning Town initiative.

The full scale redevelopment plans have been drawn up by council chiefs in the belief that the Scottish Government would provide up to 50 percent of the costs over a 25-year period.

If Holyrood doesn’t stump up the funds, then the cash-strapped council would likely have to scale back the full development and opt for a partial upgrade of Dumfries Academy
instead.