It was in November 2019 that a fire destroyed a large section of Peebles High School and set the foundations for where we are today. Where we are is of great importance to all those in Peebles who have children or grandchildren destined to go to the new school over the next few years and indeed for generations to come. The new school after all will have a life of fifty plus years.

To give Scottish Borders Council (SBC) its due, there was no question of “make do and mend”. They allocated a budget of £50M plus to the project to build a brand-new school and advanced the work ahead of both Hawick and Selkirk schools. Unfortunately though, one cannot say that the planning was without some hiccups. A “Proposal of Application” Notice (PAN) was published in June 2021 and the public saw an outline of the proposals for the first time. Peebles Community Council (PCC) were contacted by a member of the public in October 2022 who had concerns about a consultation event that, to the respondent at least, had been seriously flawed. This consultation event generated a flood of adverse feedback from residents, especially parents and some teachers. PCC took the position that the Parent Council had the resource and a strong motive to lead on their concerns, but that PCC should provide support and a public forum. We know that SBC finally listened to us as they made substantial changes to the design, and it is virtually certain that these changes would not have been made without the pressure from the public. This writer’s files now hold more than 600 items which represent a lot of pressure.

Notwithstanding the promised changes, there are still concerns, and discussion between SBC and the Parent Council has apparently become limited. Consistently, SBC and its elected councillors have said that the high school will be better than the original and, in many ways, this is now agreed. However, the high school has always had an excellent reputation for music and drama and for that a hall of at least the same quality as the original is required. The original outline plans presented in 2021 contained a double height auditorium. However, the revised plans that were submitted for the full planning application were found to have been completely revised without further consultation, and surprisingly with the auditorium completely removed, and the only space remotely usable for larger musical groups being the single height space labelled “drama”, but completely unsuitable for performances such as traditional school concerts and shows. The planning statement promised that “A new community education campus would be provided which would enhance the existing educational, sport and leisure facilities available to the entire Peebles community” but this was not borne out in the detailed design of the proposed new music and drama department. The planning application also did not comply with SBC’s own strategic brief regarding the key requirement for a large assembly and event space (Schools Strategic Brief Guidance, April 2022).

Following increasing concerns during 2022 about the inadequate performance space, and the perceived lack of consultation with staff and the community, a revised layout was prepared that re-introduced a double height auditorium presented at the public engagement event in February this year. There were several positive improvements in this, which were welcomed, but concerns were raised about the restricted performance space, the lack of enclosure and the number of seats. The architects appeared very responsive to these comments and said that they would discuss possible improvements with SBC. However, the updated design that was published this May, disappointingly showed a reduced rather than enlarged performance space. Again, this reflects a reduction in standards and not an improvement.

We understand the difficulties that budgetary constraints have on planners but promises of a better school should be honoured; after all any damage done now will last for generations. The argument has been made that there are other suitable venues in the town that the high school could use for its performances. However, this is not an accurate representation of reality. The Eastgate Theatre, although a lovely venue, is too small for larger groups of performers, and is considered by some, too dry acoustically for music as it is designed as a theatre, while the Drill Hall on the other hand is far too resonant and too small. The newly refurbished Burgh Hall has poor acoustics, but the main problem here is that there are zero backstage facilities.

On an additional note, SBC has duties under the Equality Act 2010. These include a duty to produce an equality impact assessment (EIA) to consider how the needs of children with disabilities and other protected characteristics under the law will be met. Such a document should be written early in the planning process, and it should be a living document which informs the design. Sadly, SBC appear to have ignored this requirement.

At our last meeting, PCC made a plea to elected councillors to act as honest broker between the Parent Council and SBC. This request stands and we trust that once completed, the new Peebles High School will live up to the substantial claims made for it.

Peter Maudsley

Chair

Peebles and District Community Council