Plans to move Paisley Grammar School to new Renfrew Road site could cost up to £72m

Plans to move Paisley Grammar School to a new-build community campus on the town’s Renfrew Road could cost around £72million.

The numbers have been crunched by Renfrewshire Council officers in a report that updates elected members on the progress of the project, which was given the green light in January of last year.

The facility, which will be built at the former Chivas whisky site, is due to accommodate a roll of up to 1,200 pupils and include a community café and space.

The council has agreed a capital investment of £41.85m for the campus, but will need to fund an additional amount of around £30m from borrowing.

The local authority has secured Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) funding of £1.45m per annum over a 25-year period.

A report, which will be presented at Thursday’s Education and Children’s Services Policy Board, said: “The council’s vision for the new campus is ambitious and forward thinking.

“It is expected that our designers will deliver an innovative and creative learning environment which is welcoming to all; learner focused; supportive and inclusive; sustainable; and agile enough to support the needs and aspirations of all users.”

The document said that to date four “benchmarking visits” have been undertaken to newly opened secondary schools and community campuses, which has informed the design process and provided opportunities to “test innovation”.

Staff, pupil and wider access workshops have also been carried out.

The council has already identified a principal contractor for the job in Galliford Try, trading as Morrison Construction.

A period of standstill has now been entered in which letters have been issued to unsuccessful bidders, outlining the strengths and weaknesses of their respective bids.

The local authority cannot formally appoint its principal contractor until the end of the standstill phase, but, should no challenge be received, Morrison Construction will be assigned to the project.

At this point, the appointment is in respect of pre-construction services only.

A further report will be submitted to the Finance, Resources and Customers Services Policy Board to enter into the design and build contract with the same company at a later date.