Inverclyde Council is seeking a design team for its Port Glasgow Joint Campus School.

A notice was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union this week, asking interested parties to put their names forward for the opportunity to design the new school.

The new building will include St Stephen's High School and Port Glasgow High School. It is planned to bring both schools together on the current St Stephen's site by summer 2011. This will allow the new joint campus school to be built on the current Port Glasgow High School site, with an estimated completion date of summer 2013.

The Council's Education Convener, Councillor Iain McKenzie, said: "I am delighted that the ball is now rolling on this ambitious project. There is a growing recognition that a Joint Campus is the best way forward for providing secondary education and a 21st Century School in Port Glasgow.

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"We are anticipating a large response from teams of architects, engineers and surveyors from all over the United Kingdom. I am really looking forward to seeing some of their ideas."

Council Leader Stephen McCabe, chair of the Port Glasgow Secondary Schools Working Group, said: "The placing of the OJEU Notice marks an important milestone in this project that will provide the young people of Port Glasgow, Kilmacolm and Quarrier's Village with a new modern learning environment fit for the 21st century. With the possible additions of a new special needs school and vocational education unit the project is shaping up to be the most exciting and ambitious ever under taken by the Council.

"As Chair of the working group I have been delighted by the way in which the various stakeholders – parents, staff, pupils, trade unions and the churches - are working with the Council in the best interests of our young people. We still have a fair way to go to deliver our vision for secondary education in Port Glasgow but I am confident that we are very much moving in the right direction."

Responses to the OJEU notice must be submitted by 27th July 2009. The Council will then compile a shortlist to tender for the appointment. It is anticipated that the design team will be appointed in December and will commence design work in January 2010, in order to meet the programmed site start date of summer 2011.

(GK/JM)