MAIN construction work will soon begin on the £15million Tullibody South Campus after the financial terms of the project were approved.

The build is being delivered by hub East Central Scotland in partnership with Clackmannanshire Council, with Robertson Construction appointed as the main contractor.

It is due to be complete by this time next year and the project is being part funded by the Scottish Government's Schools for the Future and Early Years programme and by the local authority.

Councillor Graham Lindsay, education spokesperson at the council said: "I'm pleased that this important stage of the project has been reached, and the construction of this wonderful new state of the art campus is beginning.

"We're grateful for the investment that the Scottish Government has made in our young people, and working together with all our partners we're now focussed on delivering our two new schools and nursery."

The project will deliver two schools, Abercromby Primary School and St Bernadette's RC Primary School, and a nursery, while the campus will incorporate two gym halls, meeting spaces, an immersive room and a new library.

Externally there will be a new artificial pitch for football, external play areas and a hard play space marked out for netball.

The new school will be built on the grounds of Abercromby Primary school and following completion, the old school will be demolished, with the area landscaped and new pitch, paths and playground area created on the site.

Gary Bushnell, chief executive, hub East Central Scotland, said: "Now that we have achieved this important milestone, the project moves into the construction phase and we look forward to delivering a new, high quality campus designed to meet all the needs of the community it will serve."

David Cairns, managing director at Robertson Central East, added: "The new Tullibody South Campus will play a pivotal role in the community for a long time to come and Robertson is proud to be delivering this truly transformative project.

"The campus will be among the very best in the country and the provision of extensive flexible learning and external teaching spaces will allow Clackmannanshire Council to adopt the latest teaching methods and technology.

"With extensive experience in the education sector, Robertson is well equipped to deliver a project that the whole community can be proud of."

Gemma Boggs, education delivery director at the Scottish Futures Trust, argues that, when open, the campus will play a vital part in the local community.

She said: "Our management of the Scotland's Schools for the Future programme is helping all of Scotland's 32 councils succeed in delivering the very best teaching and learning environments within ever-tightening budgets.

"As well as supporting many thousands of construction jobs, the programme is creating and delivering world-class, award-winning learning environments that not only meet future educational needs but are vibrant community assets as well."