hub South West are delighted to announce that financial close has been reached on the £25 million Ayr Academy Project.

 The milestone agreement was reached between South Ayrshire Council, Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), hub South West and appointed contractor Kier Construction on 7th January 2016. Works to build the new state-of-the-art facility, which is currently located on Ayrs' Fort Street, will go underway on the Old University site within the towns' Craigie Estate, with construction due to begin later this month. 

This project milestone comes just weeks after around £330 million of investment in health and education facilities was given the go ahead following an Office of National Statistics (ONS) review of proposals developed by the SFT, making Ayr Academy the first of these projects to reach financial close since the revised model was confirmed and projects could proceed on 26th November 2015.

David MacDonald, hub programme director at Scottish Futures Trust explained;

 "Being able to reach financial close just a few weeks since ONS accepted SFT's new hub structure proposals, is testement to the preparatory work by hub South West, South Ayrshire Council and our team at SFT to deliver a commercial and financial settlement which has allowed the Ayr Academy project to progress so quickly."

 The design of the new school will incorporate modern learning and teaching facilities, featuring unique outdoor education areas, encouraging social interaction and collaborative learning. Enhanced sports facilities will also be a highlight of the new learning campus including grass pitches, games hall, a dance studio and an All Weather Sports Pitch adjacent to the school. The new building will initially cater to 1,000 pupils with the potential to increase that number to 1,300 following completion of housing developments within the catchment area, effectively doubling the current roll of 617.  

Brian McQuade, Managing Director of Kier Construction Scotland added;

 "We are deligthed to have reached financial close with hub South West Scotland and South Ayrshire Council for the construction of the new Ayr Academy. We are looking forward to working with the council and hSW to deliver this state-of-the-art education, teaching and sporting facility, which will not only greatly enhance the lives of the students in Ayr, but will also benefit everyone within the area by encouraging greater access to education, sports and community amenities."

 The new Ayr Academy, funded through the Scottish Government's Schools for the Future Programme, is set to open in August 2017.