The school will be built on the former site of Newbattle High School. It will have capacity for 420 primary schools and 120 pre-school children.
This decision has been taken in the context of Midlothian Council’s plans to build 1,200 houses across areas from Easthouses to Gorebridge, which gives rise to a need for about 400 additional primary school places and 112 pre-school places.
The council had previously approved recommendations to build 220 affordable homes on the former Newbattle High School. This has now been reduced to 150 in order to enable the school to be built.
The cost of building the new school in Easthouses will be offset by reducing the size of a planned primary school at Kippielaw.
Councillor Jim Muirhead, who is Midlothian Council’s cabinet member for education, said: “Masterplans to regenerate key areas in Easthouses, Mayfield, Newtongrange and Gorebridge and the council’s social house building programme have identified sites with capacity for around 1,200 additional houses. This decision updates our Learning Estate Strategy, which makes sure we have enough school places for future pupil numbers, to take account of the pupils who will come from these additional houses.
“As the former Newbattle High School site is in council ownership and has to date been a school site, a new school building can be delivered relatively quickly.”
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