Calls for council to be more 'transparent' on £160m community campus plan

Calls have been made for Aberdeen City Council to be more open about the proposed £160m Northfield Community Campus amid fears the community is “none the wiser” about the project.

Members of the local authority’s education committee met on Tuesday to discuss the updated School Estate Plan.

The document outlined a number of projects underway across the city’s schools from refurbishments and addressing school rolls, to future plans.

Committee members were also issued a long-term programme, listing a snapshot of works ongoing across the school estate.

While Northfield Community Campus was featured on that list, it was the only development that did not have a completion date.

But Labour members hit out at this lack of information and wanted the council to give more clarification for families waiting to learn more about the campus and the affected schools.

Tillydrone councillor Ross Grant asked when families could expect to learn more details about the new facility.

Officer Mark Jones said it was hard to confirm a date due to the scale of the “complex” project and more consultation needed to be carried out first.

But the officer did reveal that design work is currently ongoing that would allow the campus development to move forward.

He also told the chamber he hoped to have an updated business case for the site ready by the end of March that would be shaped by public feedback.

Not finished with his questions, councillor Grant queried if the council had “gone too far down the rabbit hole” and “overthought” the campus plan.

Firing back, corporate landlord Stephen Booth explained that the campus idea came about in an effort to make the best use of space across communities that were affordable for the council too.

He added: “A number of opportunities came at once in terms of Northfield Academy, its age, its provision, and a number of facilities that were all built about the same time with a similar construction method that will reach the end of its life about the same time.

“It made sense not to do individual projects in isolation but to collect them together.”

Mr Booth also said the facility would be designed to be “fit for purpose for the next 40 years” as the current buildings have served the community for the last 50.

But Labour councillor Kate Blake called for the council to be more open around the proposed Northfield mega campus as she felt “frustrated” by the lack of information.

Ms Blake noted work on the campus plan initially began four years ago when six primary schools in Northfield and Mastrick were found to be running undercapacity.

Talks were held with parents of those schools in spring 2023, but the councillor said they were still waiting to find out what might happen.

She added: “In February 2024 a decision on the primary schools was pushed back because of Raac in the roof of Northfield Academy, and in September 2024 it was pushed back again because the administration made a decision to look at all council assets in the area.

“A year later, an asset review and strategic business case was reported to this committee.”

During that meeting, she had asked for an outline business case for the campus to come to committee before it went to budget so it could be scrutinised.

However, during this year’s budget setting meeting in March, finance convener councillor Alex McLellan stated he would commit £160m to the Northfield campus.

Angry councillor Blake added: “Councillor McLellan got the positive headline he wanted but the actual detail of what was proposed in the preferred option was not revealed.

“It was not shared with parents, it was not shared with the community, and it was not shared with members of this committee.

“Three primary schools are to close in this option, Muirfield, Quarryhill and Bramble Brae, and they will be moved to a new purpose-built school co-located with Northfield Academy and other services on the current Northfield site.

“Let’s be clear, that’s both primary schools in Mastrick.”

Councillor Blake admitted she felt “quite frustrated” by the lack of information following the Northfield primaries engagement.

“I go to the parent council meeting at Muirfield primary, I attend Mastrick community council, I have been reassured by officers that community engagement was in the offing for this project.

“So to find that in the school estate plan update that we’re going to have another broader asset review commencing in January 2027 is beyond frustrating.

“I feel like I’m letting people down.”

The Labour councillor went on to say she believed the campus project had been “deliberately” pushed back until after the council elections in May.

She added: “Parents, young people and the wider community have the right to know, they have the right to transparency.

“That is why we’re asking that the preferred option is clear to parents and stakeholders in the engagement on the proposed new campus which is expected to be carried out this autumn/winter so they’re able to make that informed decision.”

But despite her plea, convener councillor Martin Greig asked for the school estate plan to be moved to the finance committee in two weeks for further debate.