Plans to replace Peterhead Academy approved

A multi-million pound replacement for Peterhead Academy has been approved by councillors.

The new community campus in the Aberdeenshire town has been several years in the planning.

It was originally hoped it could be open to students by mid-2026, but that was pushed back.

Aberdeenshire Council hopes pupils and staff will be able to start using the new Kinmundy Road facility in August 2028.

Construction is expected to start in April next year.

Members of the Buchan area committee approved the application at their meeting on Tuesday.

Councillor Dianne Beagrie, the committee's chairwoman, said: "We are delighted to have approved the plans for this long-awaited new academy.

"Councillors expressed enthusiasm for the transformational impact the new Peterhead Academy will have on learners, staff, families and the wider Buchan community."

Proposals to also replace two primary schools and a special education school in Peterhead were scrapped earlier this year.

Councillors decided the replacement facilities for Dales Park, Meethill and Anna Ritchie were no longer affordable.

The Peterhead Community Campus Project - which originally proposed to replace all four schools - faced delays after the preferred building contractor pulled out last year.