Plans for new £30m state-of-art school in Bearsden

There are plans for Boclair Academy in Bearsden to be ?replaced with a brand new £30 million school building.
Joint council leaders of East Dunbartonshire Council, Councillor Vaughan Moody and Councillor Andrew PolsonJoint council leaders of East Dunbartonshire Council, Councillor Vaughan Moody and Councillor Andrew Polson
Joint council leaders of East Dunbartonshire Council, Councillor Vaughan Moody and Councillor Andrew Polson

The news was revealed this week as part of the budget proposals by East Dunbartonshire Council’s ruling Conservative/Lib Dem joint administration.

Councillors said the capital expenditure programme included a commitment to replace the existing Boclair Academy with a brand new build on the same site.

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Work is scheduled to start in July next year and expected to take around 18 months to complete.

It is estimated the new school building will cost in the region of £30m.

The current school was built in 1976 and serves pupils from south Bearsden, Westerton and Torrance.

However, concerns have been voiced in recent years over the condition of the building, and the joint administration is likely to approve the new build when the council meets to set its new budget next Thursday (March 21).

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Councillor Vaughan Moody, Joint Council Leader, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we are able to propose this development, which I hope the whole council will support.

“Parents have been rightly concerned about the deteriorating condition of parts of the current school, and I am sure that they, and the staff and pupils, will very much welcome this exciting news.”

Joint Council Leader, Councillor Andrew Polson added: “This is fantastic news not just for Bearsden but for everyone in Boclair Academy’s catchment area.

“Boclair was high on my list of priorities when I took office as joint council leader, and I am very happy that this new venture will soon come to fruition.

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“Many of its current pupils, and those still to come, can now look forward to learning in a state-of-the-art building, which will greatly enhance their educational experience.”

Meanwhile, the joint administration said it was proposing a programme of refurbishment to address the most pressing concerns regarding the current school, such as security issues and the condition of the toilets.

Back in 2009, parents and councilors raised concerns in the Herald over the lack of investment at Boclair Academy.

While Bearsden and Douglas academies geared up for new state-of-the-art schools, there were complaints that Boclair was becoming “the poor relation”.