Morrison Construction has reached contract close on plans to build a new primary school in Calderwood, East Calder.

Contract close occurs when parties reach agreement on all the documentation required to progress with the main construction works. Work can now begin on site next month as planned, with the school opening to pupils in August 2021.

The £14.3m project is being delivered by Hub South East in partnership with West Lothian Council, with Morrison Construction appointed as main contractor – the same team that delivered the successful West Calder High School.

Plans for the brand new purpose built non-denominational primary school (fully funded by developer contributions from the Calderwood development) were recently approved by the Council and will provide primary education for up to 462 primary and 128 nursery pupils.

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Scott Brown, Hub South East's Projects Director, said: "A great deal of work has gone into the development and design of this project in the background, so reaching Contract Close is a significant milestone in making the new primary for Calderwood a reality.

"Having already successfully delivered the award-winning inspiring learning space at West Calder, we are proud to be entrusted to take forward West Lothian Council's latest investment in education and we look forward to working with our partners and the local community as the project progresses. "

West Lothian Executive councillor for education, David Dodds, added: "It's fantastic that we have taken another step closer to delivering another fantastic state-of-the-art school for West Lothian.

"The new school will be at the leading edge of primary school design, and will create a focal point for the growing Calderwood community as it continues to expand."

Eddie Robertson, Morrison Construction Managing Director Central Building said: "We look forward to working closely with our partners, Hub South East and West Lothian Council, to deliver this exciting new development. The same partnership that successfully delivered the new West Calder High School, named Project of the Year at the Education Buildings Scotland Awards.

"The new primary school will create a high-quality facility for pupils, staff and the community of East Calder. We will be engaging with the community throughout the construction programme and create excellent education and employment opportunities which ensure positive local impact and legacy benefits."

(MH/CM)