Lossiemouth swimming pool to be replaced despite Moray Council Leader, Stewart Cree rejecting the re

Councillors today agreed to include a new swimming pool as part of a replacement project for the Lossiemouth High School campus.

They also opted to build an 800-pupil school rather than a straightforward replacement for the existing 700-place school.

The increased capacity will take account of new housing development in Lossiemouth, the arrival of more RAF families over the next few years and proposals to rezone Burghead Primary School to Lossiemouth High.

The cost of the new school and swimming pool is estimated at £31million, with the Scottish Government paying £17.3million via the Scottish Futures Trust.

The existing high school dates from the late 1970s and it was announced earlier this year that it was to be replaced as part of the final phase of the national Schools for the Future programme.

Lossiemouth councillor John Cowe, seconded by Councillor Douglas Ross, moved that the existing swimming pool – which is attached to the school – should be replaced as part of the overall project.

Councillor George Alexander, seconded by Councillor Anne Skene, moved an amendment to build a replacement school with an 800 pupil capacity, but omitting the swimming pool.

Councillor Cowe’s motion was carried by 18 votes to seven.

However both Council Leader, Stewart Cree, and Education Chair, Anne Skene, both voted against the pool investment.

SNP Councillors had unanimously backed investment in a new school and pool in Lossiemouth and SNP Councillor Graham Leadbitter said:

“The SNP are delighted that the Council will now take up the funding opportunity from the Scottish Government to build a replacement school and pool at Lossiemouth and that we will invest in a school for 800 pupils. That takes full account of school roll projections and the growing number of military personnel expected to come to Lossiemouth.

“We are incredulous that the Council’s Leader voted against this and that the Council’s Administration were once again split on a major budgetry decision.

“SNP Councillors are consistently looking to the future. If the Council had followed the Council Leader on this we would have been facing the loss of a significant and well used service in Lossiemouth Swimming Pool, with no obvious alternative provision for the many users of the pool. In effect the Council’s Leader has voted to close Lossie Pool.

“With a new pool we can expect a more efficient building, which should attract more customers and, by extension, more income and reduced cost. That can only be a good thing.”