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Parent power wins the day in primary school site battle

News imageBBC A man with a beard and glasses holds up a sign saying two schools plus one building equals zero spaceBBC
A campaign against plans to share a campus with the town's secondary has been successful

A parental campaign against the possibility of a town's primary pupils being moved to a shared campus with its secondary school has won the day.

A special meeting was called to decide the way forward in Eyemouth after an ongoing battle over where to locate the development.

At one stage - due to a range of issues including rising costs - Scottish Borders Council (SBC) suggested that consideration should be given to moving the children to the site of the high school.

However, it has now agreed to stop all work on that option and instead press ahead with looking to build a new primary on the site of the current one.

The story of Eyemouth's new primary goes back more than a decade when a funding package was set aside due to the building being in a "poor condition".

It would have been located on its current site but, as time passed, that option became more costly and prompted the suggestion of sharing a campus with the secondary.

Parents campaigned against that and recently marched through the town.

The council has now agreed to cease any work on pursuing the campus option.

The decision comes just days after SBC was ordered to apologise to nursery parents over a flawed consultation on closing five local early years settings.

News imageA grey-haired woman holds a sign saying 'Eyemouth deserves better' with people in the background
Protesters gathered outside Eyemouth Primary recently to vent their frustration over delays

East Berwickshire Conservative councillor Carol Hamilton, who convened the special meeting, said: "We have heard the community loud and clear."

She added: "It has been obvious from all the communication with the community that their preference is a standalone school on Coldingham Road.

"This is what the community has told us and we have listened.

"We have respected their views and their preference and we must do right by Eyemouth."

James Anderson, independent councillor for East Berwickshire, who has campaigned with parents for the standalone option, said it was a "relief".

"I also want to thank the parents who have been involved in what has been quite a tough push-back," he said.

"I'm very grateful for everybody that is going to vote to put this thing to bed."

Additional reporting by LDRS journalist Paul Kelly.