Work is underway on a new £15.3 million education campus in West Dunbartonshire.

The facility is being delivered by Morgan Sindall in Balloch and work is scheduled to be complete in 2018.

The new 53,280 sq ft campus will be built on the site of the recently demolished St Kessog's Primary School on Dalvait Road.

It will comprise two distinct primary schools and a new pre-school facility. St Kessog's will retain its name and its Roman Catholic identity and a new Balloch Primary School, formed by the merger of Jamestown and Haldane primaries, will share the site.

Features include an Additional Support Needs (ASN) base, 21 flexible learning spaces, a centrally located shared administrative area, alongside a gym hall, dining room and assembly area.

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In addition, an all-weather synthetic sports pitch will be installed along with a new roundabout at the junction of Miller Road to improve vehicle access, and a pedestrian crossing. Solar panels will be installed on the roof to improve the developments energy saving targets.

Cllr Michelle McGinty said: "It's fantastic to see work underway on this development which will deliver a first class education campus for pupils in Balloch. This project will move pupils from ageing buildings into brand new schools, purpose-built for modern day learning in which they will be supported to learn and achieve."

Harry Thorburn, managing director of Morgan Sindall in Scotland, added: "The importance of this campus to people in the local community cannot be overstated. Designing and building an environment where individual schools can come together, while retaining their distinct identities is a challenge, but one that Morgan Sindall is well equipped to deal with."

(LM/MH)