A new sports and outdoor centre next to Trinity Academy in north Edinburgh will open its doors to pupils and the community in August.
Over £10m has been invested by the City of Edinburgh Council in the Bangholm Sports and Outdoor Centre which is part of a wider project which will see a new Trinity Academy school delivered by 2026.
The development is part of the Council’s ambitious Wave 4 new schools programme which will see a number of schools replaced or refurbished in the city over the next 10 years. The secondary schools are Liberton, Currie, Wester Hailes and Balerno.
As part of this programme the Council is progressing the project to replace and refurbish Trinity Academy in two phases. The first one will see the sports facility opening in August and then phase two will see the start of the design process for the replacement and refurbishment of the school on the main site.
The strategic plan is to keep and refurbish the original red sandstone Victorian building on Craighall Road, demolish all the other buildings and construct new facilities which will adjoin the original building ready for it opening in 2026.
There will be wide consultation with the school and wider community which included the Community Council meeting on Tuesday 13 June. Engagement work is ongoing with school staff and after the summer break there will be more detailed discussions with the school parents and cluster primary school communities.
In line with the Council’s commitment to creating 20-minute neighbourhoods the school will be designed to have wider community access. The next major milestone will be submission of the planning application at the end of the year with construction aiming to start in summer 2023.
Nick Burge, Head Teacher at Trinity Academy, said: “Having visited the site regularly over the last nine months, the new PE and Sport facilities at Bangholm look excellent. I have worked closely with the design team and feel very lucky to have seen the plans become a reality.
“We have a very healthy PE curriculum as well as our extensive after school competitive and recreational sports programme. The new facilities including the strength and condition suites, dance studio, gym and games hall, provide a wonderful environment for everyone in our school to access during and after the school day.
“This is fantastic new horizon for our school and I am very grateful to everyone, particularly the current project team, the PE staff and our parent body who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point. “
Of course this is only the first of a number of new and exciting horizons ahead of us as a school. The plans for developing the main school site are under way, with these being shared for feedback with the community early in the new academic session.
“I have and will continue to work closely with this new design team as we all work to deliver a school environment that ably delivers both excellence and equity for all of the young people and families we serve at Trinity Academy.”
Cllr Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It’s great to hear that the new sports and outdoor centre will be opening after the summer as it will provide excellent facilities for both the school and wider community.
“This project is part of our exciting Wave 4 replacement school building programme which has already seen a new Castlebrae High School open at Easter. Work has started on a new Currie Community High School and plans are in place for more improvements at Liberton, Wester Hailes and Balerno.
“Despite the effects of the pandemic on the construction industry a number of new schools have opened in the past year, including both primary and special schools.
“We will carry on with our plans that will see more than £500m planned investment over the next decade as we’re committed to creating a first-class learning estate and ensuring all our children have the best possible learning environment in which to flourish.”
The Bangholm Sports and Outdoor Centre will include a four-court sports hall, gym hall, dance studio and fitness suite, and will become the new home to the school’s PE department.
The Council’s Sport and Outdoor Learning Unit will also have a base in the centre so they can support outdoor learning in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
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