Plans for new £70m high school in Fife gets green light from councilors

The construction of a new school at Rosyth’s Admiralty Park was approved by West and Central councillors on Wednesday afternoon. The three story, 17,000 square metre facility will eventually replace the “crumbling” Inverkeithing High School - a move that has been discussed by the community for many years.

The £70 million replacement will accommodate a pupil roll of 1735 and 152 staff when it is complete. It was reported in January that the project had an expected opening date of August 2026.

A replacement is necessary because the current B-list building from the 1970s is now in poor condition and unsuited for its purpose. The plans include detailed drawings of a three-storey school facility as well as multiple sports pitches - including two multi-use games areas, two all weather sport pitches, and three grass pitches. They also include a community garden, extensive active travel routes, flood lighting and a 159 car parking lot.

On Wednesday, councillors expressed some regret about the loss facing the Inverkeithing community, but committee convener David Barratt (SNP for Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay) said that the new school is “desperately needed.”

“I think there’s a line in the report that indicates the loss of the existing school from the current site wouldn’t impact Inverkeithing - it says the school is considered of no benefit to Inverkeithing. However, I think if you were to walk through town at lunchtime on a school day, you’d come to a very different conclusion. I think the impact is considerable,” he said.

“However, I would also come to the conclusion that from where we are now, it is necessary to continue because we do desperately need a new school. To refuse the application at this stage would result in many years delay. I think the school is justified as essential infrastructure, and I think that outweighs areas that are contrary.”

As part of the approval process, Fife Council's education and children's services will end up paying £1 million as part of a legal agreement before the development can move forward. It has been forced to hand the money over to the local authority’s economic development department because the site is partially designated as “employment land.”

The designation would ordinarily put a stop to any education development plans, but Fife Council has not successfully attracted business or employment interest at the site despite over 15 years of marketing. Proving that the land can’t be used or redeveloped opens the way for the school’s plans to proceed.