Councillor brands Ardrossan Academy building 'not fit enough to be a kennel'

Outspoken Tory leader Cameron Inglis has claimed the current Ardrossan Academy building is “not even fit enough to be a kennel” as the row over the opening of the new replacement campus and escalating costs raged on.

He spoke out at a hastily arranged Audit and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Monday morning at which Independent North Coast cllr Ian Murdoch demanded answers on the controversial project.

Cllr Murdoch asked for a call-in about the project.

He said: “This decision is being called in because there are some real concerns about how the Ardrossan Campus project is progressing.

“The report shows a significant cost increase of around £10m, along with delays pushing completion back to May 2028.

“There are also questions about how risks have been handled, especially around ground contamination and the challenges of building on a contaminated site.

“It’s not clear if these issues were fully understood early on, or if more could have been done to avoid the impact they have had.

“On top of that, using additional capital funding to cover the extra costs raises concerns about what this means for the overall budget of the campus and what more flexibility funding will be made available in future budgets.

“Overall, this call-in is about getting reassurance that the project is still under control, that risks are being properly managed, and that it continues to represent good value for the council and local communities.”

He said he wanted to seek more information on the cost of the Ardrossan Campus project, risk management involved, and its wider capital implications.

The project, he said, had to be “deliverable, financially sustainable” and “represent value for money”.

The contract to construct the new Ardrossan Campus Project began on site last July, with the first stage focusing on the excavation of foundations and the swimming pool tank.

In September, asbestos and hydrocarbon contamination was identified during construction. Appropriate Safe Systems of Work were then implemented by the main contractor, with an independent review confirming these measures to be proportionate and compliant.

The contractual and programme implications were subsequently assessed by a cost consultant, resulting in an additional cost of £9.97m (8.74%) and an extension of the completion date to May 26, 2028.

The overall campus project budget is increasing to £124,558,600, with the additional funding to be met from the council’s capital flexibility fund approved in February.

Cllr Inglis said: “The old school has had legionnaires, boiling and heating system breakdown, RAAC was found in it and it is not even fit enough to be a kennel.

“But we are educating our pupils there, I am not retracting my comments as I was in that school on Wednesday. It is not fit for purpose. Can that school handle staying open for another year or six months, given the problems it has had in the last three years?”

Sam Anson, Executive Director (Education), said: “ We all recognise the condition of Ardrossan Academy is extremely challenging.

“I am in regular contact with the head teacher and her senior leadership team to discuss the infrastructure challenges it faces. In terms of education, the high quality of the learning and teaching is absolutely exemplary; we must make sure the head teacher and her team are properly supported to continue to deliver against that.

“Similarly we have got a very extensive and comprehensive business continuity plan in place looking at individual risks to the infrastructure and working with colleagues to put in place maintenance and repairs on an ongoing basis when necessary and also thinking about medium term adaptations that might be required.”

Labour cllr Donald Reid said: “ I have to respond to some of the comments made off mic there. Cllr Bell, you experienced the Moorpark Primary rebuild and you saw that some of the issues that regulatory bodies that inspect the schools ensure a minimum standard is maintained and make comment if that is not achieved.

“If they were not happy the school would be closed. Moorpark Primary did not achieve its opening date on more than one occasion. You have to manage the project. We do meet the minimum standard at Ardrossan Academy.”

Cllr Eleanor Collier, Cabinet member for Green Environment and the Economy, said: “Clearly Ardrossan Academy has to continue, this site was not chosen by this administration but the previous one.

“I don’t disagree with the site choice. At the time there was not another option that made sense at the time, what would have happened to this site had the council not stepped in? It would have sat as a blot on the landscape.

“The campus is a game changer for Ardrossan; it will drive regeneration and the harbour in public ownership in a couple of years, and will have a new development and school and community facility.

“Capital increases are down to material costs, this site was exacerbated by the fact it was built on a contaminated site. Every effort was made with revetement which has been done to the best it possibly could be, that all costs money.

“I don’t think it was bad value for the people of North Ayrshire given there were no other options to build this school and the actual condition of the current building and the imperative nature of building them a new school which they very much deserve.”

The committee agreed on the call-in and Cabinet will now prepare a report to the full council on the issue.