Edinburgh Council has confirmed it has received the go ahead to commence with the new proposed Portobello High School.

Royal Assent was granted for the City of Edinburgh Council (Portobello Park) Act 2014 on Friday (1 August). It comes into force from today (4 August), and will allow the local authority to appropriate Portobello Park for educational purposes. This will allow work to begin on site.

Welcoming the news, Councillor Paul Godzik, Convener of Education, Children and Families at Edinburgh Council, said: "Now that Royal Assent has been received, it will be full steam ahead with our plans to replace Portobello High School. Over the last few weeks, since the Parliament approved the legislation, officers have been preparing to appropriate the park and sign the building contract with Balfour Beatty and both will now take place over the next few days. In a few weeks work will start on Portobello Park as Balfour Beatty start to prepare the site for the construction works.

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"This is a hugely important milestone in the new school project and I know staff and pupils returning to school next week will enjoy, as I will, watching the progress on site as their new school is built. The Portobello community have waited many years for their new school and I look forward to the opening of the new school in August 2016."

(JP/CD)