A SECOND high school for the Musselburgh area is earmarked to be built near Wallyford, at a cost of £35 million, to cope with the influx of families from the massive surge in new house building.

Councillors will debate the issue at a meeting of East Lothian Council in Haddington on Tuesday at 10am.

They are being asked to approve a recommendation for a new secondary school, close to Dolphinstone, to ease the pressure on existing Musselburgh Grammar School.

An assessment of potential sites stated that land east of Wallyford should be considered as an option for a new S1-S6 school for the eastern part of the Musselburgh schools’ cluster.

The proposal also includes the revision of the school catchment boundaries at Musselburgh Grammar School; Ross High School and Sanderson's Wynd Primary School, Tranent; Pinkie St Peter’s Primary School in Musselburgh; and Wallyford Primary School.

With this option, the existing Musselburgh Grammar School would be retained and serve the western catchment area of the town.

Councillors will also be asked to approve that a community consultation is undertaken.

Under the Strategic Development Plan for South East Scotland, approved by Scottish Ministers in June 2013, the council has to ensure there is sufficient land to provide 10,050 new homes in the county during the period 2009-2024, with 6,250 of those houses capable of being delivered in the period to 2019.

The Musselburgh area is bearing the brunt of the new house build, as the draft proposed Local Development Plan, approved by the council at the end of last year, preferred an approach of “compact growth”.

A survey of parents, staff and pupils last year showed a preference for a second secondary school for the Musselburgh area.

A report, which will go before the council meeting next week, states that, following the removal of the proposal for a new secondary school at Goshen, which is no longer a preferred site for housing development, two suitable sites remain – Wallyford and Craighall.

The capital project costs for the recommended option at Wallyford – which is best value for the council – will be partially offset by housing developers contributions.

The Wallyford site can be accessed via a range of suitable foot and cycle routes, and public transport services, the paper states.

Land at Craighall was ruled out because it has significant constraints relating to access, pupil movement and land designation issues.