West Dunbartonshire Council has launched a consultation, asking residents for their views on the proposed site for a new school in the area.

The school is the new £22.5m Our Lady and St Patrick's High School.

Members of the Council's Education Services Committee has welcomed a report and agreed that a consultation on the location should include the existing site, along with Posties Park.

The Council will also go back to Historic Scotland the National Trust for Scotland to clarify the current position and to see if land at the Cunninghame Graham Memorial Park could be used for outside sports pitches. In a further bid to find a suitable location, the Council has said it will hold further detailed discussions with the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board on the possible use of the Dumbarton Joint Hospital site.

Posties Park has been described as an important location for the proposed facility with clear economic benefits which it's hoped would help regenerate Dumbarton Town Centre. If the school was constructed on Posties Park, a £3m bridge would be needed to link the park with the town centre, while ground tests within the park have confirmed an extra £250,000 would be needed to make the site suitable for building.

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The Council has built all four of its new secondary schools on existing school grounds but constructing this one on the current site could present a number of specific challenges. The overall size of the existing site is small, with the current school building being six storeys high. In addition, the current site only has one outdoor sports pitch which is well below the standards set by Sports Scotland for external sports facilities in new schools. Furthermore, if the current existing site was to be used, during the construction phase of the project, the school would not have the use of essential facilities including the assembly hall, dining room, kitchen and Music department which would need to be demolished to make room to construct the new school building.

Argyll Park and Jamestown have been ruled out following site investigations, as they are less accessible by public transport, which would have an adverse affect on traffic management at peak times.

Councillor Michelle Stewart, Convener of Educational services, said: "I would actively encourage residents to take part in the consultation and give us their feedback on the location of the school. The Council is investing £22.5m and the location must be in the best interests of the community and the pupils who will attend the school."

The consultation opens today (Thursday 19 September) for 32 days, ending on Wednesday 13 November 2013 and the documents are available via the Council's website.

A public meeting will also be held in the Assembly Hall of Our Lady and St Patrick's High School on Wednesday 23 October at 7pm.

(JP/MH)