THE majority of parents are in favour of relocating Lochies School to a new-build in the west of Alloa, a council meeting will hear.

Clackmannanshire Council will be noting the outcomes of formal consultation on the permanent relocation of the primary, which serves children with profound, multiple, sever and complex additional support needs.

Papers to be tabled for the March 23 meeting at Kilncraigs explained that of 104 responses to a public consultation survey, 79 per cent were in favour of the proposal.

As part of statutory consultation, Education Scotland has concluded that the proposal is of clear educational benefit for children and young people.

Staff have also welcomed the proposed relocation, offering ideas to support planning and ensure optimal educational benefit.

Parents have raised concerns regarding infrastructure – transport is understood not to be an issue as children attending require school transport via minibus and taxis.

The current proposal is for Lochies to share grounds with the to-be-built wellbeing hub at a site dubbed as The Pavilions.

From a sample of consultation responses, a number of parents were keen to see the proposal, saying a “bigger school with easier access is long overdue for Clackmannanshire”.

On the other hand, some parents were against the proposal, saying the area is too isolated and not supported by regular public transport.

Some simply do not agree with the location, a few pointed out a facility should be included for the decanted St Mungo's PS while others believe the land should be kept as green space.

A couple of parents have also raised issues around contamination in consultation.

In August last year, an analysis for the council by Hub East Central revealed that “radon contamination has been identified as a possible risk in the bottom corner of the site”.

The analysis added that this would require management through design and construction.

Radon is a radioactive gas and according to the UK Health Security Agency, it increases the risk of lung cancer.

A few have also suggested alternative sites or revamping the existing school.

Viable sites have been explored previously as part of the s Learning Estate Investment Programme bid and it was found that upgrading the existing school, co-located with Deerpark PS in Sauchie, is “not a viable option” after multiple retrofits have been applied to the building, which “can not be further adapted”.

The report on the statutory consultation said: “The public opinion in favour of this relocation far outweighs the opinions to the contrary.

“Likewise, the positive comments regarding the relocation outweigh any concerns raised by the public consultation.”

The indicative opening date for the new-build is August 2026.