Contractor Heron Bros has commenced work on a new £16.78 million state-of-the-art school and community building in Danderhall.

The primary school and early learning facility will accommodate 640 and 120 pupils respectively, with the development also offering a library, leisure centre, cafe and sports pitches.

This project will see the redevelopment of the existing primary school to make way for the new facility.

Midlothian Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Jim Muirhead said: "We are very proud of what we've achieved over the last decade to make sure as many of our young people as possible get the best education in modern and inspiring learning environments.


"As the fastest growing local authority area in Scotland, we don't just look back, our ambitious learning estate strategy also helps us plan for the future to ensure there will be enough high-quality spaces to accommodate growing pupil numbers. For example, there are 5,000 new homes planned for the wider Danderhall and Shawfair area alone.

"The new building at Danderhall, therefore, will be a fantastic and much-needed addition to our schools and community estate. We are all really looking forward to the opening next year and the building becoming a busy and well-used focal point for local people."

The project is being funded by £6.2 million of developer contributions, £1.1 million of Scottish Government Early Years grant funding, and the remainder by the council.

The new building is scheduled to open in autumn 2020.

Midlothian Council also released a fly-through video, showing off the plans for the new development. Available below.

(CM/JG)