January 30 2024

East Lothian Council is progressing two identical primary schools in tandem to address growing population pressure in the region.

Hub South East and jmarchitects will deliver the schools, each a mirror image of the other, at Craighall and Blindwells. Budgeted at £49.6m the project will deliver education services for both communities, each of which is growing rapidly with thousands of new homes planned.

Delivering design and construction efficiencies amidst soaring inflation the twin build will see each 420-space school offer early learning and childcare facilities within one energy efficient building meeting Passivhaus principles.

Councillor Fiona Dugdale commented: "We have an established and positive working relationship with Hub South East. This has brought benefits in the delivery of multimillion pound capital projects, most recently Wallyford Learning Campus, within a volatile construction market environment.

"These challenges, particularly in relation to inflation and its impacts on prices, remain and will be closely managed throughout the period to ensure we achieve best value while, at the same time, achieving the high-quality finish that we can see in our other projects."

Balfour Beatty will commence construction of both schools next month for completion by spring 2025. 

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