A new multi-million school development for Garnock reached a major milestone this week as hub South West Scotland joined representatives from Kier Construction and North Ayrshire Council for the ‘topping out’ ceremony.

Provost Joan Sturgeon laid the last section of the concrete frame to mark the completion of this stage of the development following six months of work.

The new £40 million joint school, community and leisure campus will serve the Garnock Valley’s three main towns - Kilbirnie, Beith and Dalry - and bring together pupils who currently attend Garnock Academy, Glengarnock Primary School and Glengarnock Early Years Centre.

The new state-of-the-art campus is due to be completed by December 2017 and will include a high quality 6 lane swimming pool leisure facilities to replace Garnock Pool and a synthetic pitch suitable for rugby and football.

hub South West appointed Kier Construction to be the main contractor for the work. Local firm JD Pierce are currently erecting the steel frames for the facility with this stage set to be complete over the coming weeks.

Councillor Tony Gurney, cabinet member for place, said: “I’m delighted with the progress being made and we are now another step closer to completion.

“As more work gets done you can start to visualise just how the school will look and it really is going to be something special for this and future generations of young people.

“Our school estate in North Ayrshire is something we as a council are incredibly proud of. There has been considerable time and investment put in. The new campus will be another addition to our growing list of top-class schools, leisure and community facilities.”

Scottish Government funding, equating to two thirds of the cost of replacing the secondary school, has been secured by the council through the Schools for the Future programme.

Managing director of Kier Construction’s Scotland & north-east England business, Brian McQuade, said: “Our involvement with hub South West Scotland and close working partnership with North Ayrshire Council has helped with us in working to deliver a state-of-the-art educational and community facility which, when complete, will benefit the local people of the Garnock Valley for generations to come.

“During this project we have undertaken meticulous planning and constant dialogue with North Ayrshire Council, suppliers and subcontractors. Our focus on local economic growth and job creation has also helped to support job opportunities and modern apprenticeships in the area, further illustrating our commitment to supporting and facilitating regeneration of local communities.”

Michael McBrearty, chief executive of hub South West, said: “The Garnock Campus development is progressing well and hub South West are delighted to be a part of it.

“It is fantastic to be continuing our collaboration with Kier Construction Scotland and North Ayrshire Council, as well as partnering up with local enterprises such as JD Pierce, with community engagement always being a key feature on hub South West projects.

“With new initiatives rolling out on this development such as the DEC! accredited curriculum ‘Adopt a School’, this really is a flagship project which will generate growth, maximise local investment and create local opportunities for training, learning and further education.”