New school plans for Renfrew get the go-ahead

Mar 12 2012 by Alison Rennie, Paisley Daily Express

PLANS for a new school in Renfrew have been given the go-ahead by planning bosses.

A new joint campus for St James’ Primary and Moorpark pre-five centre will be built on Porterfield Road on the site of the old Moorpark Primary.

It’s all part of a £20million plan for schools in the north of the town. Moorpark Primary closed at the end of the school term in June 2010 and pupils and staff from Kirklandneuk Primary School switched to the Porterfield Road building in October 2010 while their school was upgraded.

It re-opened in January this year after £5million worth of improvements.

The Moorpark Primary building will now be demolished to make way for the new St James’ Primary, community learning centre and nursery.

There will also be a seven-a-side football pitch, a running track and play areas on the campus.

The existing St James’ Primary building will stay open while the building work is carried out.

Construction work is expected to start in September this year with the new school ready to open its doors in 2014.

Local SNP councillor Cathy McEwan said: “The new St James’ Primary School will be an excellent facility for Renfrew.

“I am pleased that planning permission has been given to let this proposal go forward. It will provide a modern school and community facilities to this part of Renfrew.

“Unlike Labour’s previous education plans which used PFI funding and resulted in a constant drain on the education budget – including £15million this year alone – this SNP-led plan will be fully paid for without such debt.”

The main entrance to the school will be from Brown Street South where the parent drop-off will be while buses will use the entrance on Victoria Drive West.

One letter of objection was sent raising concerns about the noise from the football pitches but council planners felt neighbouring houses were sufficiently far away for it not to be an issue.

Moorpark Primary closed in June 2010 and its 120 pupils were transferred to either Kirklandneuk or Newmains primaries in the town.

Council bosses said the school had no future because the building needed an increasing level of maintenance and had a low occupancy rate and high running costs.