ASBESTOS has been removed from a huge new Scottish school site and a “stone cap” installed to act as a “protective barrier” between any remaining contaminants and the campus.
North Ayrshire councillor Eleanor Collier confirmed that work at the Ardrossan school campus – which will incorporate an early years centre, primary school, secondary school, library, and swimming pool – had been completed and verified by regulators.
A report to elected members at the council’s SNP Cabinet on Tuesday said that the removal work and associated safety measures had increased the cost of the project by £9.97 million. The total cost now sits at £124.6m.
The report also revealed that the new Ardrossan campus is not set to open for another two years, despite the initial deadline passing in 2025.
The new facility will be completed at the end of May 2028 and open for its first intake of pupils a few months later in August, the report said.
The facility had initially been expected to throw open its doors last year but there was a delay until winter 2027, and another delay as a result of the works to remove contaminants found during early excavation works.
On the asbestos, Collier had been asked by independent councillor Ian Murdoch if she could “guarantee that the site is free from all contaminants that may be harmful to the users of the site, especially the pupils attending the new school”.
She said in response that 2600m2 – around two Olympic-sized swimming pools – of contaminated waste has been removed from the site.
Collier said that disposal of the material has been divided into three categories and sent elsewhere accordingly:
- Inert waste not suitable for reuse on site – Loanhead Quarry, Boydstone Road, Beith and Kilbarchan.
- Hydrocarbon waste and asbestos waste levels below level of determination – Knowes Farm IV Landfill site, Beith.
- Asbestos waste above level of determination – Greenoakhill Landfill Site, Mount Vernon, Glasgow and Hunterston Drive, Port Clarence, Stockton on Tees.
“The remediation works involved the on-site treatment of contaminated soil to achieve the decontamination standard set by North Ayrshire Council as planning authority in conjunction with Sepa [Scottish Environment Protection Agency],” Collier said.
“The contractor applied a bioremediation process to the soils, as specified in the remediation strategy. Hydrocarbons were removed via specialist pump and treat operations. Following the treatment of soil it was assessed for suitability for reuse as infill for the works, with the balance stockpiled for future reuse.
“A 600mm environmental stone cap was subsequently installed on the site to act as a protective barrier between any remaining contaminants and the new development, helping ensure the site is suitable for use as a school campus and that risks to human health are properly managed.”
The council has confirmed that the added costs will be covered through previously approved funding arrangements agreed in February.
Collier further said: “While it is disappointing and frustrating that the opening of the campus has had to be delayed, we have always been clear that health and safety must come first.
“The scale of what we are developing can’t be overstated. This was a huge, unkempt piece of brownfield land that had been lying derelict and unused for decades. As a former industrial brownfield site we always knew that some risks would only be fully confirmed once deep excavation had been carried out.
“Despite that, the report also includes some encouraging news, with the project reaching a significant milestone on the construction process as steel work is now rapidly being erected on-site. We are looking forward to a steel signing event with local pupils in the coming months as we build excitement in the run-up to the opening.
“This campus will change lives for the better, it will serve the community for years to come and be well worth the wait.”
The new campus is the first and key phase in the Ardrossan Coastal Quarter plans which will see the derelict site completely regenerated.
As well as the state-of-the-art school campus, the vision for the wider site also includes the provision of new housing and commercial uses.
