£60m school blunder unveils Scottish planning error
Members of Renfrewshire Council have been hit with a multi-million pound bill after botched calculations saw a primary school built too small.
Scotland’s public spending watchdog has branded Renfrewshire Council ‘grossly incompetent’ after they underestimated the demand for Dargavel Primary School, Bishopton. The institute opened in 2022 with a max capacity of 548 but forecasts suggest 1,100 spaces will be needed within the next 10 years.
A report from the Accounts Commission outlined it is estimated to cost £60m to rectify the failings of the school project.
Originally the school was built to meet demand for places with a new 4,000-home development being built on land owned by BAE Systems. However, the local authority revealed a planning error which meant a new primary school and high school extension at Park Mains High School would be needed to meet increasing demand.
Following this, a new deal was struck with BAE Systems to transfer another two pieces of land on the site of the former Royal Ordnance factory in Bishopton to the council for £1 – one of which was to be an 8.5-acre site for a new primary school, the other is a 1.5-acre extension to the existing institution.
However, an independent review found the council approached these negotiations with the landlord in an ‘amateur manner’ and a 60% increase in housing at the site from the plan was to be met be a mere 30% increase in the planned number of primary school places.
‘Whilst it’s clear action is being taken to address the cultures and behaviours that resulted in the failures of school provision, now the council must demonstrate sustained change and improvement in the longer-term,’ Andrew Burns, deputy chair of the Accounts Commission said.
‘Councillors have a critical leadership role. To help ensure they fulfil their scrutiny and decision-making responsibilities, councillors must have access to, and take up, appropriate training and development.
‘This is vital to ensure historic failures of leadership and governance at the council are not repeated.’
In response to the findings from the Accounts Commission, a spokesperson from Renfrewshire Council said: ‘The future impacts of these additional costs are being considered through the wider financial planning continually taking place to ensure the council remains financially stable over the coming years.’
Image: chris robert
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