Members of the community have been invited to two public events linked to Renfrewshire Council’s planned extension of Park Mains High School in Erskine.
Those who attend the sessions at the facility in Barrhill Road – from 5pm to 8pm on Wednesday, November 6 and Wednesday, December 4 – will have the chance to hear about the work to date. They will also be able to meet senior school staff and the team behind the £37 million project and share their views on the plans for the school.
It means parents and other interested parties could have the opportunity to seek answers on the expansion with pupil numbers predicted to exceed the additional capacity created in the 2032/33 academic year. The events come after an update on the work was included in a report on the learning estate to this Thursday’s education and children’s services policy board.
It said: “The project to extend and enhance Park Mains High School is progressing through design stages with an initial concept design being created. The procurement process to appoint a main contractor for the final design and construction is also underway.
“This complex process is expected to complete in early 2025, where the successful contractor will be appointed. Following the appointment of a contractor, a period of roughly one year will be required to finalise all design, planning permission and market testing to arrive at a final construction contract sum.
“This will then allow the planned construction and handover period to commence to deliver by the summer of 2027. This process will comprise extending the current school as well as significant internal interventions to enhance the current school footprint by maintaining subject adjacencies and implement sufficient building provisions.”
The decision to extend Park Mains to add capacity for another 400 pupils – which will bring the total capacity to approximately 2,000 – was made at the board in May last year. The project is expected to be complete by the summer of 2027.
Analysis published as part of a partnership between the council and data specialists Edge Analytics has suggested the school roll could exceed this figure as early as 2032/33. However, the local authority has indicated this could be addressed by managing and reducing the number of placing requests to the school through its admissions policy.
The public events in the coming weeks follow the submission of a proposal of application notice in September, which triggered a period of engagement before a full planning application is put forward next year.
“The events are open to all and the project team will be in attendance with relevant council officers to discuss the project with the public and school community,” the report added. “This process will inform the ongoing design of the project and will support the planning application process.”
Don’t miss the latest Renfrewshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here