Morgan Sindall Construction hands over £16 million Balloch Campus

A new state-of-the-art 53,280 sq ft campus which enables three schools to co-locate in a modern and collaborative learning environment has opened its doors in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire.

The £16 million campus, which represents a major investment in the education offering in the area, has been delivered by leading school-builder, Morgan Sindall.

The construction and infrastructure company was appointed by West Dunbartonshire Council through LHC’s Schools & Community Buildings Framework. Subsequently renamed the Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA) in 2016, the framework supports the efficient construction, refurbishment and maintenance of social housing and public buildings throughout Scotland.

With multiple stakeholders across the three schools and the local authority, the framework procurement route afforded early-stage collaboration on design, budget and timescales; enabling successful delivery of the project.

It was completed on schedule and to budget, ready for the children to take full advantage of the facility’s sports pitch over the summer months.

The campus has been built on the site of the former St Kessog’s Primary and provides a new home for it, co-located with a newly-formed school: Balloch Primary.

An Additional Support Needs (ASN) unit and a new Balloch Early Learning and Childcare Centre (ELCC) are also operating at the site.

Balloch Primary was created following a merger of Haldane and Jamestown Primaries, while Balloch ELCC is the new name for Jamestown ELCC.

In total there are 21 flexible learning spaces, while the ASN has capacity to assist 36 pupils with a range of additional needs.

David Lannigan, Senior Operations Manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, said “Merging three existing schools into a modern campus, which offers an improved learning experience for children in the area was a major undertaking for West Dunbartonshire Council.
“The framework procurement route enabled us to work closely and collaboratively with the council and school from day one. As its construction partner, we’ve worked with the council to ensure the new school met its requirements and budget. The finished campus is something everyone involved in the project can be very proud of, and will deliver lasting benefits to education provision in the region.”

Councillor Iain McLaren, West Dunbartonshire Council’s Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration & Economic Development, said: “We are delighted with the new school and I know the staff and children are very much enjoying being in what is a wonderful building and environment.
“We’re determined to give our young people the best possible education and the Balloch Campus will certainly help to shape and support them now and for the future.”