Planned extension and refurbishment at Culloden Academy in Inverness not meeting key milestones, say parents in call for review of project
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Parents at an Inverness secondary school are calling for a review of a multi-million pound extension and refurbishment project amid concerns it is not meeting key milestones.
Voicing "serious frustration", they say the project at Culloden Academy – the most overcrowded school in the Highlands – is facing delays and also claim some plans have been dropped without consultation.
A letter has now been sent on behalf of Culloden Community Council and Culloden Academy Parent Council to Highland Council’s chief executive Donna Manson demanding she reviews the situation.
"This whole project is again being delayed by the Highland Council," the letter states.
"It moved from projected completion in 2023 to 2024 but we are now halfway through 2022 and the council is already failing to meet easy targets from the phase one plans.
"The people responsible for this fiasco need to be held accountable and if resources are needed, so that materials can be sourced and ordered and planned ahead, then you need to make that happen, as you assured us you would do in June 2021."
The masterplan for the long-term re-development of Culloden Academy proposes construction in three phases and the eventual demolition of the old building.
A key element in the first phase is the development of a synthetic all-weather games pitch (AWP) on the sports field.
The council recently lodged a planning application for a 7205 sq m pitch with fencing and lights, and two special assessments have been commissioned because of the potentially sensitive nature of the location near Culloden Battlefield and Culloden House.
Despite this, the parent council remains worried it is being delayed indefinitely and that rising costs of materials and asphalt are being blamed.
"This is utterly unacceptable," the letter states. "An all-weather sports pitch is a fundamentally basic facility for a secondary school, especially a school in the Highlands where frequent rain can create waterlogged grass pitches."
The parents contend the asphalt should have been ordered months ago.
The letter also highlights concerns about the status of planned renovations to the PE dryside changing rooms, describing the current facilities as over used and “disgusting”.
Parents are also worried about the lack of progress to develop a fire evacuation point which would double as basketball training courts and somewhere for pupils to play on during lunch breaks.
They state access to the fire muster point is only possible via a steep muddy bank, which leads onto a playing field.
"Providing young people with activities to keep them occupied at lunch breaks is also a basic school need, and incorporating basketball hoops on a dry surface is an ideal solution to improve the mental and physical health and wellbeing of our young people," the letter states.
Catherine Bunn, a member of the parent council and community council chairwoman, said there had been no real update since January on the planned extension and refurbishment.
"We have really good teaching staff at Culloden Academy but they are not being given the resources they need to teach properly," she said.
"We are stepping up the pressure on Highland Council.
"Other secondary schools have these facilities. Why hasn’t Culloden Academy been given the same resources and opportunities for its catchment area which is growing hugely?"
Independent Inverness South councillor Duncan Macpherson shares the parent council’s frustration and deep concerns and said so much of the council’s focus this calendar year has been spent on the local government elections, often at the expense of important community projects.
“As soon as the full council meets again on June 9, I will be publicly pressing the chief executive for the best outcomes for Culloden Academy pupils, teachers and parents and the communities that this 40-year-old school deserves,” he said.
A Highland Council spokesman said a range of local, national and international factors were impacting construction projects and it is monitoring the situation.
"Earlier this year, the council held two virtual public events to view and comment on the proposals for the first phase of the extension and refurbishment programme along with the overall design masterplan for Culloden Academy,” he added.
"There is an upcoming opportunity for the community to engage with us on this development as further events are planned for June."
Anyone wishing to attend, should contact CLestates@highland.gov.uk to request a link and documents from the events will be uploaded on to the council's website.
New vision for Culloden Academy
