Work progresses on new Jedburgh campus

Working with Scottish Borders Council’s development partner Hub South East Scotland and appointed main contractor BAM, this stage of the project began in April 2018 and will be finished by September, when the main school building contract will commence.

Borders-based contractor RJT Excavations Ltd will be involved with these early works, providing local community benefits.

The start of the enabling works means the project is still on programme to open to learners by March 2020.

The Jedburgh intergenerational community campus will replace Jedburgh Grammar, Howdenburn and Parkside primary schools, and will be located on land at Hartrigge Park.

The campus will have provision for nursery, primary and secondary school children, and community facilities will include a multi-use games area, 2G hockey pitch, 3G sports pitch, running track, external changing pavilion and rural skills area.

The funding for the new campus was confirmed by Deputy First Minister John Swinney in August 2017, as one of four projects to share £28m from the latest phase of the Scottish Government’s £1.8 billion ‘Schools for the Future’ programme.

Councillor Shona Haslam, SBC’s Leader, said: ‘The start of the enabling works is another step towards the creation of this innovative new facility for Jedburgh. It is good to see we are on track for a March 2020 opening, and it is excellent news that we have local firm involved in the project at this stage, supporting the local economy. This development will serve the whole community, from 2 to 102 year olds, with further education opportunities and community facilities for the town.’

Councillor Carol Hamilton, SBC’s Executive Member for Children and Young People, added: ‘Jedburgh Intergenerational Learning Campus will not only provide a single learning space for 2-18 year olds but will have potential to support learning opportunities for older learners and be a wider community resource as well. I believe this facility will be a real asset to Jedburgh and look forward to seeing the campus progress.’

Scott Brown, Hub South East’s Project Director said: ‘It’s great to see work progressing in Jedburgh. As a Hub project we are keen to ensure that a range of community benefits are realised throughout the build. It’s fantastic to see Jedburgh based RJT Excavations is already benefiting from the opportunities available and we look forward, in partnership with our contractor BAM Construction, to ensuring that even more local individuals and businesses can get involved during the delivery of this exciting project.’

Garry Young, Managing Director of RJT Excavations, added: ‘As a local Jedburgh based company, we are delighted to be involved in the enabling works, preparing the site for the building of what will be a fantastic new campus. It’s great to see opportunities being offered to the local community and I’m proud that RJT Excavations gets to play its part in a project which will have a long lasting legacy for the town.’