North Ayrshire Council at odds over timetable for Garnock supercampus

Last week, council leader Willie Gibson attempted to lay the ongoing dispute over the site of the campus to rest by tabling the motion: “This council fully supports the existing democratically approved site for the new Garnock Academy and wishes to move forward to construction as soon as possible.” Introducing the motion, Councillor Gibson said: “This motion is in response to the completely irresponsible motion proposed two weeks ago and subsequently withdrawn.” Mr Gibson was referring to a motion proposed in the previous council meeting by Kilbirnie and Beith councillors John Bell (Labour) and Jean Highgate (Independent) attempting to ‘halt the current planning application’ and reconsider other options with claims that the chosen Longbar site has ‘limitations with poor drainage, undermining, and difficult terrain’ and has ‘no clear safe access points or travel routes identified’.

Cllr Gibson continued: “The opposition motion would bring to an end the posibility of a new school and leisure facility – I repeat for absolute clarity– no new campus for the Garnock Valley.” In a combative tone Mr Gibson asserted that ‘the timescales for the project would be exceeded’ and the project would not go ahead.

“I would ask all members to ask the question – do you wish to deny the young people of the communities in Dalry and the Garnock Valley a new campus and leisure facility?

“The decision to go ahead with this project was taken democratically by a majority of North Ayrshire Council.

"The very idea there has been no consultation is ridiculous.

"Consultation has been ongoing for three years.” To back his argument, Cllr Gibson distributed a briefing paper refuting one by one the claims of Cllrs Bell and Highgate over contaminants, drainage, positioning of the buiding and safe routes.

On the safety issue, his paper stated: “Planning consent will only be granted once the planning service is satisfied that access points to the facility do not present a hazard and travel routes – including pedestrian footpaths and cycle paths – are adequate.

“For absolute clarity, North Ayrshire Council would never put the safety of any young person at risk.

"To suggest otherwise is outrageous.” Cllrs Bell and Highgate countered by retabling their original motion as an amendment to Cllr Gibson’s, however, it was defeated by 17 votes to 11 with only Dalry and West Kilbride Independent councillor Elizabth McLardy backing the Labour opposition and Cllr Highgate.

Introducing the amendment, Cllr Bell suggested that there was ‘time to pause, take stock and re-evaluate the options and proceed with the best option for the people of the Garnock Valley’.

Following the meeting Mr Bell said: “I have checked with council officers and the end date for spending the cash is March 2018.

“Whatever Councillor Gibson’s intentions, his insistence that I was wrong, and that only he was being honest, has led to a disastrous decision for the campus and for the pupils and parents of the Garnock Valley.

“The Garnock Campus should have been built on the original site at North Lochshore, which was the choice of the people and pupils of the Garnock Valley.

"The safety of our children is a real issue.

"Among the facts revealed at the meeting was that the work to determine the safety of the walking and cycle routes to the site has not yet been completed.

"It is a mistake to proceed at this time without this vital information.”.

Commenting on the claim that it would take four years to build the campus,  Councillor John Bell said: “The previous Labour Administration built three new secondary and two new primary schools between 2003 and 2007.

"It surely cannot be beyond the ability of North Ayrshire SNP to build just one school in that time-span.

"Even they cannot be that incompetent.” A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “The Council has been granted £17.8 million of funding from the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) towards the development of the Garnock Campus.

"The SFT must be satisfied that the campus will be completed by March 31, 2018, before the funding will be released.

“The overall timescale for identifying an alternative location and building a new campus is estimated at four years.

"Any change of location for the campus would, therefore, result in us missing the funding deadline by at least three months even if the process began today.”