East Lothian Council has appointed development partner hub South East Scotland to deliver its new Wallyford Primary.

hub South East has in turn selected Morrison Construction as the preferred contractor to build the new school, which is likely to be complete by autumn 2018.

The £18.6 million phase one of the new school, being built as part of the new St Clements Wells development on the outskirts of the village, is currently in its planning stages. A planning application has been submitted to East Lothian Council, outlining detailed proposals for the new facility which will initially provide 28 classrooms, as well as 120 pre-school pupil places.

A further phase, to be developed at a later date, could see space constructed for an eventual primary and pre-school roll of 1300+, one of, if not the biggest primary schools in the country.

Richard Park, hub South East’s operations director, said: “This is a major investment in education for our client, East Lothian Council, and we are delighted to be working in partnership to ensure its successful delivery.

“The new Wallyford Primary will allow pupils and staff to enjoy modern, fit-for-purpose facilities and the community will benefit from investment in the local area.

“We look forward to further developing this project to make these plans a reality.”

East Lothian Council’s cabinet member for education and children’s services, Cllr Shamin Akhtar, said: “This is great news for the local community of Wallyford and will be hugely welcomed by all. The new school will provide facilities that will not only enhance the educational provision for the pupils but also include all members of the local community.”

Billy Gray, framework director for Morrison Construction, said: “We look forward to working closely with our partners, Hub South East and East Lothian Council, to deliver this exciting new development, our fourth in the last five years with the council. The development is set to create a modern, long lasting facility for pupils, staff and the community of Wallyford.

“We will continue our engagement with school and community stakeholders throughout the construction programme and create excellent education and employment opportunities which ensure positive local impact and legacy benefits.”