Consultants appointed by The Highland Council to carry out an option appraisal exercise in relation to the future provision of pre-school and primary school education at Conon Bridge and Maryburgh have recommended that a new amalgamated school should be built on the site of the existing Conon Bridge Primary School.

Parents were advised of the recommendation at a meeting last week and the Council's Education Culture and Sport (ECS) Committee will consider the outcome of the appraisal at its next meeting on Wednesday 21 May.

Following a statutory consultation in August 2006, the Council agreed to replace the existing Conon Primary School and Maryburgh Primary School with a new amalgamated school on the existing Conon Primary School site.

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The ECS Committee was advised that the replacement Aviemore Primary School and the new amalgamated school at Conon could not proceed simultaneously and that members would be asked to decide which project should progress first when the state of readiness of the respective projects was known.

In August, 2008, the ECS Committee was advised that the Aviemore project was sufficiently advanced to proceed. As a result, members agreed that Aviemore should proceed first and that in relation to the Maryburgh/Conon Bridge replacement it was agreed - following further discussion with community representatives - that a detailed option appraisal exercise be carried out to determine the course of action that would deliver best value for stake-holders.

The approved level of funding within the ECS Capital programme for the new educational provision at Conon/Maryburgh is £5.942 million.

(CD/JM)