The City of Edinburgh Council has announced that a brand new secondary school will be built in Craigmillar.

The school, which will be funded by PARC, the company leading the regeneration of the Craigmillar area, will initially have capacity for up to 700 pupils and will be one of the most technologically advanced anywhere in Scotland. There will also be the opportunity to extend the school by another 200 pupils should the need arise.

The new school, costing around £30m, will form an important part of the redeveloped Craigmillar town centre, and be based at a new site off Niddrie Mains Road. Together with the public library and new sports facilities, it will be at the very heart of PARC's regeneration of the area, serving a wide range of needs for the entire community.

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Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, Convener for Education, Children and Families said: "This new building will have excellent facilities and provide a superb backdrop for a first-class education.

"I have no doubt that this school will also help in the regeneration of the area along with the library and sports facilities. We look forward to working with PARC over the next three years," she said.

Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Chair of PARC said: "The new community high school and library lie at the very heart of the regeneration of Craigmillar and will form the cornerstone for a new community and town centre. This is a very exciting time for the area and PARC is looking forward to moving this important project forward over the coming months."

Currently in the design stages, construction work will begin in 2009, with the new school opening during the academic year 2011-12 and replacing the existing Castlebrae Community High School.

(NS)