Pupils, parents and grandparents have marched through a Borders town to demonstrate their frustration over ongoing delays to plans for a new primary school. The campaign reflects years of stalled progress on a project that was first allocated funding in 2015.
About £15m was initially earmarked for a replacement primary at Eyemouth after education officers concluded the current building was not fit for purpose. Disagreements over the location of the new school, the Covid pandemic and, more recently, the council's refusal to account for inflation in building costs have all contributed to the lack of progress. Scottish Borders Council (SBC) said it remained committed to using "informed discussion and detailed feedback" to determine the way forward.
How long has the community been waiting?
The Eyemouth Primary School project has been in limbo for nearly a decade. Inspections conducted in 2015 revealed the Coldingham Road building was in "poor condition", prompting the initial £15m allocation. More recent assessments have described the facility as "not fit for purpose". The town had previously benefited from investment when a new secondary school opened in 2009 under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding arrangement, but attention quickly shifted to the need for a replacement primary.
What proposals have been put forward?
To keep costs within the original budget, education officials proposed in the previous year a community campus model that would house all primary pupils within the town's high school building. This approach was intended to avoid the expense of constructing a standalone facility. However, the proposal generated significant concern among parents and community members. Rev Stephen Bender, whose children were educated in Eyemouth and who has campaigned for action, expressed the community's objections:
"Rather than listening to what parents want they took us by surprise by suggesting we just basically take the existing primary school and shove all the pupils into the high school building. It's already above the 500 capacity for which it was originally built and now they want to take an additional 300 or 400 students and shove them into the third floor building. It's fraught with potential problems and safety concerns."
SBC abandoned the co-location proposals just before Christmas and initiated a fresh consultation at the start of the year. At a spring meeting, councillors agreed to pursue additional funding for a new standalone primary while continuing to develop the co-location campus model as an alternative.
In May 2026, according to a national broadcaster's report, councillors agreed to prioritise a new standalone primary school if funding could be secured, while retaining the shared-campus option as a fallback. The council's FAQ indicates that a standalone new primary school is estimated to cost approximately £35.8m and take 33 months to deliver, with completion indicated for mid-2028.
What are the funding challenges?
More than £8m allocated in the current year's local authority budget for beginning Eyemouth Primary replacement work has been pushed back into the 2027/28 capital spending plans. The council's overall budget for the project has been confirmed at £15.041m, with £1.4m ringfenced for the Early Years and Family Centre. According to the council's official guidance, the current funding pressure stems from its capital investment plan being heavily committed and from current economic and supply-chain conditions.
What do community members say about the delays?
Rev Bender articulated the broader frustration felt in the town:
"Frustration is absolutely the right word to use and and it's long, long-term frustration. We are on the farthest reaches of the Scottish Borders and the community feels that they're often the last to be considered for anything and judging from this project alone I think those concerns are certainly justified."
Grandparent Christine Mutch expressed anger at the repeated delays and the resources spent on proposals that proved unworkable:
"They have wasted tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds coming out with schemes that anyone locally can tell them are just not workable. And it's not that we want anything better than any other community - they've built schools in Jedburgh, Galashiels, Earlston and Peebles - while we've been waiting on ours. We just need something that will be right for all of the pupils of Eyemouth to have the space to grow."
Why is the shared campus model problematic for families?
Parents have raised practical concerns about the logistics of a shared campus arrangement. With a replacement nursery being built at the current primary school site, families with children in both nursery and primary would face significant difficulties managing drop-offs and pick-ups. Mum Sarah Duncan, who has children at both the primary and secondary schools, explained the challenge:
"It would be over a mile between the nursery and the campus - the distance we have just walked today. When you have children in the nursery and the primary school there will be no time to get from one to the other - even if you are driving them it takes some time due to the school traffic. We have a lot of new houses being built in Eyemouth with more families looking for school places - why can't the council just build us a new school?"
What recent developments have occurred?
The project has experienced significant shifts in direction. According to the council's consultation page, Scottish Borders Council launched a statutory consultation on relocating Eyemouth Primary School, with a public meeting held on 12 November 2025 and the consultation open until 8 December 2025. However, the council later abandoned the relocation plan after receiving hundreds of objections and recommended "taking time to reconsider its approach and intentions".
Over recent weeks, council officers have met with community leaders to provide updates on the two primary school options currently under consideration. A spokesperson for SBC stated:
"Our focus is on targeted engagement that supports informed discussion and detailed feedback. Council agreed that both options should continue through further design, cost, and programme development to better understand their risks, affordability, and deliverability. The alternative new build proposal is the primary focus of this stage, reflecting community feedback and the evidence gathered to date. However, no final decision has been taken on a preferred solution, construction contract, or additional capital funding."
What happens next?
A final decision on whether Eyemouth is to receive a new standalone school or a shared community campus is expected to be made by councillors later in 2026. According to a national broadcaster's report, Scottish Borders Council said a follow-up report was expected by September 2026 at the latest. Public engagement sessions have been scheduled, with a session planned for 31 August 2026 at Eyemouth Parish Church and another public meeting scheduled for 17 September 2026.
A May 2026 council report indicated that the standalone build could be delivered more quickly than the campus option, but at materially higher cost, presenting councillors with a choice between speed of delivery and financial outlay.
Key Facts
- The replacement school project was first allocated £15m in 2015 after the current building was deemed unfit for purpose
- A shared campus proposal was abandoned after community objections; councillors now prioritise a standalone school if funding can be secured
- A new standalone primary is estimated to cost £35.8m and take 33 months to complete, with mid-2028 as the projected completion date
- More than £8m budgeted for 2025/26 has been deferred to 2027/28 due to funding pressures and economic conditions
- A final decision on the preferred option is expected by September 2026, with public engagement sessions scheduled for August and September 2026
