Forres Academy designs on display at public meeting in town hall

The community is being invited to view and comment on plans for a new school in the centre of town at a consultation this evening (Tuesday, June 24).

The replacement for the aging Forres Academy building on Burdsyard Road is controversial, more so after Moray Council ruled out two alternative options at the edge of town - Grantown Road and Lochyhill - confirming the new build will be at Roysvale, despite the local authority’s public survey finding it was not the preferred site.

Moray Councillor Scott Lawrence (Forres, SNP) believes the meeting at Forres Town Hall offers a “real opportunity” for the community to help shape the next phase of the project.

He said: “While the preferred location has already been decided, the planning stage is where people can influence the design, layout, access routes, traffic management, and green space provision.

“Local feedback shapes outcomes. If you care about how the school will sit in the landscape, how pupils and neighbours will get to and from it, and how the space will be used, this is the moment to have a say."

The first of two public consultation meetings will take place from 6-8pm at Forres Town Hall. Free tickets are required to ensure capacity is not exceeded.

An unstaffed public exhibition of the proposals will also be available at Forres Library from Wednesday, June 25 to Friday, August 29. A virtual public exhibition will also be available online.

Feedback must be submitted by August 29.

Comments made during the consultation are not formal representations to the planning department - these will be invited once the planning application is submitted.

Cllr Lawrence hopes as many local people attend the town hall as possible because it is about planning matters that will affect everyone. However, he reiterated that the time to object to the site has already passed.

He said: “If we want to improve the outcome for young people in Forres, we need to focus on making the best of this opportunity.

“If we keep the conversation respectful, and focus on the opportunity we can build something that will serve our community for decades to come."

Book a place at Tuesday’s meeting via https://www.eventbrite.com/e/replacement-forres-academy-pre-application-consultation-public-meeting-tickets-1392404000849?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwY2xjawLGBslleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBTRWRKSExBbmJqc091Qzc1AR6DDKnkKhdWrxiyYqRg9pRWfFQ8cV0xfJO3mcJdMr82Y0Z33i21977PP5lEBQ_aem_mq_M9ATI68Gr7ngEefdz4w