Plans have been approved for a new £40 million secondary school in Edinburgh.

The 1,200-capacity Queensferry High School is to be built on the site of the current school's playing fields. Work will start on site in spring this year, with completion scheduled for spring 2020.

The City of Edinburgh Council has appointed development partner Hub South East to deliver the project, alongside Morrison Construction as the Tier 1 Contractor.

Designed by Ryder Architecture, features of the project include incorporating a sports hall and new four-lane swimming pool, which was increased in size after taking into account community feedback.

Externally, a new full-sized 3G pitch for football will be developed, along with access to a full-sized 3G pitch for rugby and football off site. Other features include a running track, long jump, shot put provision, rounders pitch and three hard play spaces marked out for basketball/netball.

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Once the new school is built, the previous building will be demolished and the area landscaped with a new pitch created on the site.

Recognising how close the school is to the Forth Bridge World Heritage Site, the architects have designed the school to fit in to its surroundings. This includes maximising views from the school across to the Forth Bridge and choosing external finishes that complement the location.

Eddie Robertson, Morrison Construction Managing Director Central Building, said: "We look forward to working with our partners Hub South East and the City of Edinburgh Council to build this exciting new facility for Queensferry and the wider district.

"This project will deliver larger, modern education and sporting facilities to benefit pupils, staff and the community and we are excited to make these plans a reality.

"Over the course of the construction programme we will continue our engagement with the school and community stakeholders.

"The education and employment opportunities we create will ensure this project has a positive impact on the community now and into the future."

Roddy Clark, Hub South East's Project Director said: "We're excited to have reached this key milestone of planning approval on the new Queensferry High School. Throughout the consultation we listened to feedback and as a result, we were able to make changes to the design to reflect local needs, such as a larger swimming pool. The new school will not only provide a modern learning estate for pupils and staff, but will be a fantastic asset to the community."

Cllr Ian Perry said: "The Council has successfully worked with Hub South East Scotland over the past five years on the additional rising rolls programme and building the new James Gillespie's High School so I am sure everyone will be looking forward to a state of the art school opening in spring 2020."

(LM)