Morrison Construction appointed to new East Calder school project

Topic Schools and Colleges, Projects, Contracts

Date 22 Mar 2023

Morrison Construction Building Central has been appointed by Hub South East and West Lothian Council to deliver the new £18.3m East Calder Primary School.

The new school will be constructed adjacent to the existing school in Langton Road, East Calder, with the recently built Early Years extension retained.

The exciting designs, by Architects NORR, will see a triangular-shaped building created which will deliver optimum energy performance and smaller perimeter spaces grouped around larger ones within - including a central games hall - to ensure a real educational connectivity between spaces.

Once complete in 2024, pupils will move over to the new building and the current school will be demolished.

The school is the latest to be built by Morrison in partnership with West Lothian and Hub South East, following on from great success with the award winning Calderwood Primary, West Calder High School and the Winchburgh Schools Campus. 

David Ewing, Managing Director of Morrison Construction Building Central, commented: “We have a tremendous collaborative relationship built over many years with West Lothian Council and Hub South East. We are looking forward to East Calder becoming yet another fantastic school to add to the portfolio of award-winning projects we have built together, and providing the high-quality facilities that students and staff deserve.”

Roddy Clark, Hub South East’s Operations Director, said: “A great deal of work has gone into the development and design of this project in the background, so reaching Contract Close is a significant milestone in making the new primary for East Calder a reality.

“Having already successfully delivered the award-winning inspiring learning space at Calderwood Primary, as well as the recent Winchburgh Schools development, we are proud to be further entrusted to take forward West Lothian Council’s latest investment in education and we look forward to working with our partners and the local community as the project progresses.”

Executive councillor for education Andrew McGuire said: “I’m delighted that work is set to start on a superb new East Calder Primary School soon.

“We are committed to delivering the best possible platform for education for children in West Lothian by continually improving our school estate.

“Educational attainment has been rising consistently for the last decade in West Lothian, and making sure we have buildings suitable for learning is a key part of this.

“In a challenging and volatile construction market, agreeing a fixed price of £18.3 million for the new school provides certainty for the council and the local community going forward.”