jmarchitects are delighted to announce that planning permission has been granted for our Replacement Liberton High School project on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council.

Located within the site of existing Liberton High School the new facility will be built to meet future needs by providing a flexible low-energy learning environment alongside a mix of versatile spaces for wider community use. To align with the city’s sustainability goals this ambitious project shall be delivered to Passivhaus, a rigorous design standard which focuses on a fabric first approach to create optimal levels of user comfort, whilst using very little energy for heating and cooling.

This approval marks a significant milestone in the project timeline as we progress through the detailed design stage ahead of site start later this year. The new development shall be constructed whilst the existing school and sports block remain operational, avoiding significant disruption for pupils and delivering an innovative new education & community facility.

As well as teaching accommodation for 1200 pupils, the campus will also include a community library, community café and fitness facilities, flexible multi-purpose spaces and touchdown opportunities for partner agencies. Externally there will be a series of learning, play and social spaces including full size 3G pitch, grass recreational sports pitch which can be lined out for football, retained tennis and beach volleyball courts along with an existing mountain bike trail retained and enhanced across the site.

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Convener of the Education, Children and Families Committee at the City of Edinburgh Council, said;

‘’The Liberton Community Campus is a really exciting project which provides an amazing opportunity to create, as part of an inclusive net zero-carbon city, a community lifelong learning and sports hub to replace the existing school.

This means public services can be co-located with links to active travel networks, green infrastructure and public transport networks. This Community Hub vision for the building to be ‘more than a school’ aligns with our 20 Minute Neighbourhood Strategy – to localise and co-locate services, making them more accessible for communities and to improve the experiences and outcomes for everyone. This is all part of the Council’s plan to support the wellbeing of everyone and end poverty and isolation in Edinburgh.’’