At a meeting of the Education, Children and Leisure Services Committee on Tuesday, members approved the release of capital funding to appoint external consultants Hub North Scotland to carry out feasibility studies and develop concept design briefs and outline business cases for the school building projects.

The work totalling £154,860 will progress while the council awaits a decision from the bid submitted to the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) Phase 3.

Chair of Moray Council’s Education, Children’s and Leisure Services Committee, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, said: “There’s a requirement to progress the development of the project brief and outline business case for both the Forres ASG and Buckie ASG projects to ensure that we’re as far on in the process as possible when funding decisions are made.

“I hope the wider community get involved in the engagement around these facilities to make sure we’re collaborating on a fit-for-purpose proposal.”

The future secondary school at Forres will be discussed during the forthcoming Forres ASG community engagements over the coming weeks. Detailed community workshops will follow in due course.

The current Forres Academy is one of 39 schools in Scotland in which Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) has been discovered.