Special Council meeting called for Mull Campus
鈥淚t鈥檚 important we take the time to consider all the detailed information in order to make an informed decision.鈥 鈥 Councillor Jim Lynch
撸sir视频 and Bute Council today agreed to hold a special meeting on 7 March to allow sufficient time to consider and scrutinise reports that support a new 拢43 million 2-18 Campus on Mull.
Councillors will meet to consider a preferred site for the new campus. The highest scoring shortlisted site is Tobermory South followed by Craignure, Tobermory Existing and Garmony.
The project to build the new campus is part of the North Schools Programme, a partnership between hub North Scotland ltd and five local authorities to deliver eight schools.
The council with hub North Scotland has assessed all shortlisted sites based on their ability to meet the educational requirements of the brief, technical deliverability (including ground conditions, utilities and flood risk), affordability and risk. Assessment also included community engagement analysis, transport considerations and an integrated impact assessment that examined the potential impacts on island communities, protected characteristics, children鈥檚 rights and wellbeing, Fairer Scotland Duty and the local economy. You can read the reports on the council website.
Speaking about the decision, Council Leader, Councillor Jim Lynch said:
鈥淭his is the single largest investment for the council at a time where we are making decisions about essential services for communities across 撸sir视频 and Bute.
We understand there are many different views on a new campus on Mull and it鈥檚 important we take the time to consider all the detailed information in order to make an informed decision. This includes taking into consideration feedback from the community engagement sessions, the site selection scores and outcomes from technical and impact assessments.
This large-scale project comes with a number of complexities and it鈥檚 essential we fully consider each detail of the proposals. We thank communities for their ongoing feedback and look forward to deciding the next critical milestone of selecting a preferred site for the new campus.鈥
Background
The Council submitted a bid for Scottish Government LEIP funding in October 2022 for a 2-18 campus on Mull. In October 2023, the bid was accepted. The bid met the LEIP eligibility criteria on condition, with funding provided on a 鈥渓ike for like鈥 basis to replace the existing Tobermory campus.
On 20th December 2024, the Council agreed that a new Mull Campus would continue on a single-site basis.
In August 2024, the council issued a call for sites for the new campus that helped inform a long list. In September, the council carried out an extensive community engagement exercise to ask the community what was important to them when considering a site for the new campus. Councillors considered the findings in December 2024. Read the Community Engagement Analysis Report (November 2024).
More information about Mull Campus is available on the council website.