The council has allocated an additional £800,000 for the project, which will enable improved facilities and a new dedicated access road to be delivered for the school site.

The extension has been designed by West Lothian Council’s construction and design team. Development partner hub South East Scotland is leading on the build project on behalf of the council, with BAM Construction as the lead contractor.

Following consultation, the council had previously agreed to relocate Cedarbank School to a new stand-alone, purpose-built, modern facility within the grounds of The James Young High School in Livingston.

Cedarbank is a secondary school for young people from across West Lothian with additional support needs (ASN) which is currently split over three locations in Livingston and Armadale. The new school will able to deliver all S1 to S6 education in one place.

During the consultation, traffic congestion along the James Young High School’s Quentin Rise access road was one of the main issues raised. A new road from Dedridge North Road will provide a dedicated access to Cedarbank.  Questions were also raised regarding the facilities on offer, and the new proposals include a multi-purpose hall and increased specialist education accommodation.     

Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “I’m delighted to agree the £7m budget to deliver a fantastic new Cedarbank school. The additional £800,000 will allow us to deliver improved facilities and new access road, which were issues highlighted by local residents during our consultation.

“The new purpose-built accommodation is part of a £20m-plus investment programme in our ASN schools, along with Pinewood, Ogilvie and Beatlie Campus. This will ensure we have ASN schools which are suitable for the delivery of modern teaching practices going forward.”

Work on the new Cedarbank is expected to start in October 2020 and finish in November 2021.