Copyright scotsman
Plans for a new primary school and nursery with capacity for over 500 children in South Queensferry have been submitted to Edinburgh City Council. Proposals for the new Builyeon Road Primary School and Nursery were lodged on October 7 for a two-stream primary school for 420 children and a nursery for 128 children on the land south of Builyeon Road in Echline. The school would be located between the two motorways leading to the Forth Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing. The area earmarked for hundreds of new homes, with housing construction already underway. Previous plans submitted said the new school could open in August 2027 at the earliest. The two-storey primary school is to become the fifth school in the town, joining Echline Primary, St Margaret's R C Primary, Queensferry Primary and Queensferry High School. The new school and nursery campus is set to include extensive sports facilities, including a two-court hall along with an external 2G artificial pitch of around 60m x 40m. These facilities will also be open to the wider community. The external plans also show two cycle stores for pupils with 42 spaces in total, outdoor dining space, accessible parking and a staff cycle store. As well as active play space with play structures, the main playground with cycle proficiency track, a woodland trail and outdoor teaching space. Also included in the plans for the new school is an outdoor classroom with space for a full class, with in-built seating and chalkboards, which would be a fully covered space for use in all weathers. The plans also include a growing space, with raised planters, an external tap, a poly-tunnel and orchard trees, while the informal open play space would be a grassed area for informal sports, free play and group activities. The proposed new school is part of the Builyeon Road Masterplan for the former farmland area south of South Queensferry, which was approved by the council in February 2022, prior to this permission in principle which was granted in February 2020. Builyeon Road runs along the northern boundary of the school site, which has been identified as a key active travel route. The route will be a combined three-metre pedestrian footway and three-metre cycle track with rain gardens and planting. The existing footpath from Echline is set to be widened with the potential to connect directly into the school site. A north-south link from Echline to the north has also been identified. The school site will have a secure line boundary around its full perimeter. Within the secure line, lower level fencing is proposed to enclose the nursery from the wider primary school. The sports pitch will have a three-metre weld mesh fence, with this rising to five metres behind the goals. At the main entrance a low brick wall will form the eastern boundary to the nursery, connecting with the school building and providing an enhanced entrance. Two public consultation events were held on the proposed new primary school and nursery in South Queensferry in June and September, and regular meetings have been held by stakeholders since.
