THE future of Musselburgh Grammar School still hangs in the balance after Goshen Farm was thrown out as a possible site for more than 1,000 new houses.

A private paper, due to go before East Lothian Council for debate on November 17, recommended Goshen as the location for a second secondary school for the town.

But the paper was withdrawn after councillors agreed, at a public meeting immediately beforehand, to drop the Goshen site, to the south east of the town, from the draft Local Development Plan.

The council released the private papers following a Freedom of Information Act request, which stated that the option ranked highest in terms of best value for money was a second secondary school at Goshen.

Other suitable sites at Dolphinstone, which came second in value for money, and Craighall were also listed.

A council spokeswoman said last week that now that Goshen was not zoned for housing, it was “highly unlikely” a new school would be built there.

When asked if the council still planned to go ahead with the second secondary school option along with Musselburgh Grammar, she said: “We can’t say at this stage. A new report will need to be prepared and decided upon in due course.

“In the previous report, a second school at Goshen was the preferred option but obviously that will now change. So we’re back looking at fresh options.”

She said it was likely the paper would be discussed in private as it would contain commercially sensitive information about landowners but details would later be made public.

Nearly half of people questioned about the future of Musselburgh Grammar School called for a second school to be built. The council asked parents, pupils and staff at the school what they would like to see as the solution to the town’s growing demand for education spaces.

The council offered people three options for the future: a second school to split the catchment; a senior annex to be built at a new, unspecified location; or a replacement ‘superschool’ which could house all the pupils together.

It is estimated the school roll will double to more than 2,500 as more housing is built around the town in the next few years.