Work is to start on two new schools and community facilities in Fort William next week.

The sites are at Lundavra Road and Ardgour Road in the area.

To mark the commencement of the projects, turf cutting ceremonies will be held.

Plans for the four key school building projects include:

• A joint campus building to replace Caol Primary School and build a school combining the existing Fort William and Lochyside Roman Catholic Primary Schools along with the construction of a new Caol Community Centre. These will be built on the current Caol site and will involve the demolition of the existing community centre and school buildings.


• An 11-classroom school building with community facilities at Lundavra Road to replace the existing Fort William and Upper Achintore Primary Schools.

• A Gaelic Primary School with community facilities at Ardgour Road in Caol; the school will have four classrooms initially with the capacity to be extended by up to a further four classrooms if required.

• The final phases of the upgrades to and refurbishment of Lochaber High School, including new kitchen and dining facilities, new main entrance and administration block, refurbishment of the assembly hall and new pitched roofs.

In addition to the above, the process of naming the new schools is underway and will start with the Lundavra site and the joint campus in Caol. The naming of the new Gaelic Primary School will follow once a new Parent Council has been formed.

(JP)