Proposals for a replacement Liberton High School have taken a major step forward after the planning application for the new school was approved today (Wednesday 1 March 2023).
The plans for the school, which will have capacity for 1,200 pupils, were approved by Councillors on the Development Management Sub-Committee.
Construction is due to begin in May this year with the new school planned to open in 2025.
The three-storey building will consist of a variety of inspirational and inclusive spaces for learning. Classrooms, studios, workshops and science labs will connect and work with shared collaborative areas and breakout spaces, providing learners with more personalisation and choice over their learning environment.
Sports facilities include a floodlit multi use games area, basketball court and athletics facilities. The current tennis and beach volleyball courts and mountain bike trail will be retained as will the sports block.
A new fitness suite and dance studio will be provided to complement the existing sports facilities. There will also be outdoor learning spaces and a grassed amphitheatre.
A key part of the new school will be the community campus features as it will include non-educational facilities such as a café, library and flexible workspaces.
The school will be constructed to Passivhaus standards designed to meet the city-wide aspirations for our schools to be as energy efficient as possible in response to the Climate Emergency and Edinburgh’s 2030 Net Zero target.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Convener of the Education, Children and Families Committee at the City of Edinburgh Council, said:
The new school campuses we’re planning are innovatively and sustainably designed so they are inspirational places for learning for the next generation of young people creating a vibrant and thriving learning environment.
The Liberton Community Campus is a really exciting project which provides an amazing opportunity to create, as part of an inclusive net zero-carbon city, a community lifelong learning and sports hub to replace the existing school.
This means public services can be co-located with links to active travel networks, green infrastructure and public transport networks. This Community Hub vision for the building to be ‘more than a school’ aligns with our 20 Minute Neighbourhood Strategy – to localise and co-locate services, making them more accessible for communities and to improve the experiences and outcomes for everyone. This is all part of the Council’s plan to support the wellbeing of everyone and end poverty and isolation in Edinburgh.