Chryston pupils and residents can have a first look at their area’s proposed new 500-pupil primary school and health centre complex.
The required planning application for the new development at Lanrig Park has been submitted to North Lanarkshire Council, including design images showing how the plans will look.
It includes 17 class bases arranged in three wings with each having a shared group activity space, as well as a gym hall with changing rooms, stage and dining area – while an upper level houses the school’s e-learning zone and stepped activity space.
The adjoining health centre, replacing an existing NHS Lanarkshire facility in the area, has a separate entrance and includes 17 clinical rooms; and the development would have 153 parking spaces and bus drop-off area.
A new school is required because the existing primary building, on the opposite side of Lindsaybeg Road at the campus shared with Chryston High and Snowdrop nursery, is too small for its rising pupil numbers.
Major housebuilding in the area has resulted in an increase to the pupil roll, with the school already having needed the addition of portable buildings to provide extra space.
Residents had protested two years ago against the loss of the green space, located between Cliffvale Road and Campsie View, which currently accommodates open recreation space, informal sports pitches and the area’s popular cycling pump track, which is to be relocated.
The health centre was incorporated into the new development last summer following discussions between the council and NHS Lanarkshire, with the latter funding the capital cost of its new clinic and then paying a peppercorn annual lease of £1 for the next 25 years.
A document on the new building’s energy and sustainability notes that it will include solar panels, efficient water usage and energy-saving LED lighting.
It states: “The intention is to achieve as high a level of sustainability as possible. The development of Chryston Primary School and community health clinic looks to improve the economic and social context of the area without negatively impacting [its] environmental attributes.
“The principles of architectural design address the effects of climate change and produce a relatively simple structure and rationalised form to improve efficiency and provide flexible accommodation ... with the potential to be adapted and fitted out to meet the needs of future users.
“Although the development demands car parking and hard-standing service areas and access roads, the site itself encourages sustainable transport with cyclist facilities, and safe access routes prioritising pedestrians by giving a direct route from the site entrance to the building.”
