Plans lodged for new primary schools at Blindwells and Craighall

East Lothian Council has lodged planning applications for two new schools – one in the new town of Blindwells and the other outside Musselburgh at Craighall.

Both of the £19 million learning centres have been designed by the council working with Hub South East Scotland and they have identified key drivers they want to see in them.

The new schools will include informal winding corridors, creating a softer feel, along with lots of windows to bring in natural light and a focus on designing spaces for children to play within the buildings themselves.

Corridors with cubby holes where children can play and use their imagination, as well as open spaces, are included in the vision.

The design statement says: “By playing, children develop language skills, their emotions and creativity, as well as social and intellectual skills.

“The building design should encourage play.”

Making the most of the view in East Lothian is a key to designing new primary schools. Image: East Lothian Council planning portal

Use of a range of colours to brighten the new facilities, as well as different textured materials on walls to create a tactile environment, are also included.

And there is a drive to make the most of the county’s rural surroundings, with large glass viewing areas looking out, with the statement for both new schools adding: “Given the quality of the semi-rural context of the site, there should be a strong visual relationship from inside the building to out.”

The new Blindwells Primary School will serve phase one of the new town off the A1 which will see 1,600 homes built; the school is due to open in 2024.

The school will initially have 14 classrooms for 420 pupils and an early learning centre for about 100 youngsters.

It is expected that as Blindwells expands with further phases in the future, a further seven classrooms will be required in future years to deal with the school roll.

Inventive design of open space will provide play areas for children. Image: East Lothian Council planning portal

The new Craighall Primary School and early years facility will have the same number of spaces and classrooms, although it is expected it will need a total of 20 classrooms in the future as housing developments in the area continue.

Constructions costs for both new schools are currently capped at £19 million each.

Both design statements for the schools say discussions with the council helped produce a “design concept and vision” to create an overall vision.

They say: “East Lothian Council have a strong belief in developing the way that education is delivered through an open collaborative learning environment and the current design proposals seek to enable this, providing a series of flexible interchangeable spaces within an overall building plan that provides opportunities for pupils and members of the community of all ages to interact and learn from each other.”

The plans are available to view on the council’s planning portal.