South Ayrshire Council - News - PPP Projects go before Planning Committee

PPP PROJECTS GO BEFORE PLANNING COMMITTEE

South Ayrshire Council is one significant step closer to implementing a £73 million Public Private Partnership (PPP) Initiative to replace or improve a number of school buildings in South Ayrshire.

A number of detailed planning applications relating to all of the PPP projects were put before members of the Council’s Planning Committee for their consideration and were all unanimously approved.

Speaking about the decisions the Leader of South Ayrshire Council, Councillor Gibson T. Macdonald said: “Following approvals given by the Planning Committee the Council is another step closer to providing better schools in South Ayrshire, schools that will match the very high standards required to meet educational challenges now and in the future.

“Children in South Ayrshire deserve the best learning facilities that the Council can provide, and if building new or altering existing schools means that additional facilities can be also be provided for local communities so much the better.

“The designs for the PPP projects are tremendous and are setting the standards for other schools that will follow.

“I am very proud of the way in which the PPP project is progressing, and I believe that it will set a standard that other local authorities may wish to follow.”

The approved applications are as follows:

Kyle Academy	Full planning permission for the erection of an annexe building to existing school.
Barassie Primary	Reserved matters application relating to the siting, design, external appearance and means of access to the proposed development. Outline planning permission was granted in May 2004 for the erection of primary school with nursery and associated works.
Alloway Primary	Reserved matters application relating to the siting, design, external appearance and means of access to the proposed development. Outline planning permission was granted in May 2004 for the erection of primary school with nursery and community library.
Prestwick Academy	Reserved matters application relating to the siting, design, external appearance and means of access to the proposed development. Outline planning permission was granted in April 2004 for the erection of a secondary school on the site at Prestwick Academy.
Belmont Academy	Reserved matters application for the erection of secondary school with associated lighting and playing fields. Outline planning permission for the erection of a new secondary school at Belmont Academy was granted on 11 May 2004.
Monkton Primary	Erection of primary school building with nursery. Outline planning permission for the erection of a new primary school at Station Road Monkton was granted in May 2004.

The Council previously appointed a consortium ‘Education for All’, whose shareholders are the Halifax Bank of Scotland, Carillion and Cyril Sweet Holdings to oversee the PPP project. The decision to select ‘Education for All’ was approved by the Scottish Government and the consortium is progressing the PPP project on the Council’s behalf.

Anyone who would like to read further details of the plans for the PPP schools should log onto the Council’s website at www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk and view the Planning Committee papers for Tuesday 23 May 2006. Alternatively details of the planning applications may be viewed at the Planning Department, Burns House, Burns Statue Square, Ayr.

May 2006