Laidler review into siting of new Anderson High completed for £60,000

The independent review into the siting of the proposed new Anderson High School has been completed on time and below budget.

At the council’s weekly media briefing chief executive David Clark said the investigation into whether the Knab or the Lower Staney Hill would be the best location for the school, co-ordinated by building consultant Andrew Laidler, had been completed at a cost of under £60,000.

Earlier this year the council said the review would cost around £100,000, although a budget of up to £150,000 was set aside for the process.

The investigation followed a narrow vote in the council’s services committee for a review of the selection of the Knab site for the £49 million project, just days after the project was approved by the SIC’s planning board.

Mr Clark said he was pleased the review had been finished ahead of its three month schedule, although he refused to be drawn on any of its findings.

“The Anderson High School independent review process is now complete,” he said. “We’ve managed to cover all the aspects of the investigative briefing. We are in the process at the moment of getting the reports drafted up.”

“We have completed it in the timescale and it looks like we are going to be well under £60,000, so we’ve done it a lot cheaper than we thought we would as well. Bear in mind it could have been very expensive and I had sought £150,000 and it could legitimately have come up to that.”

The final report is expected to go before councillors in September.