MEMBERS of the public will be able to have their say on plans for a new £70 million high school in Rosyth.

A consultation will get under way in the spring with Fife Council looking to rubber-stamp the replacement of the crumbling Inverkeithing High with a new facility at the Fleet Grounds.

It's not due to open until August 2026 but the clock is ticking and local SNP councillor David Barratt said: "The next stage is to go out and consult.

"Fife Council have indicated what their preferred site is but it has to go to public consultation to confirm the existing school is to close and a new one built on the Rosyth site.

"I'm told that will happen in the spring so we're just waiting on that."

The new high school is expected to accommodate up to 2,000 pupils.

The current buildings at Inverkeithing High date back to 1972 and are rated category C for condition and suitability.

Keeping the school, or building a replacement on the current site, was ruled out as an option in 2019.

It came down to a straight choice between the Fleet Grounds and a site at Hillend, close to the existing school and north of the A921.

Cllr Barratt, the convener of the South and West Fife area committee, had backed the latter option but, in November 2020, the education and children's services sub-committee voted 14-4 in favour of the "best value option" in Rosyth.

Asked if a new name would be chosen, given the high school won't be in Inverkeithing, he said: "I hope so, although part of me wouldn't mind it keeping the Inverkeithing High School name to make it clear it's going in the wrong location!

"I assume it will be named Rosyth High or Forth High, maybe there'll be a naming competition, I'm not sure yet. That's still to come."

Cllr Barratt has campaigned to keep The Wing – the community use part of the high school – and launched his own public consultation last year to ask locals what they want to happen with the current site.

He said: "Behind the scenes, the council have been working on designs and planning.

"They're still saying it's on track for 2026 but until the move is rubber-stamped, and they have a legal duty to carry out a public consultation, we've not been able to do any of the other stuff.

"It's frustrating as, until the consultation is done, they won't discuss the future of the current site.

"For me, it's absolutely essential we get a good high school for the area but it's also about maintaining the facilities we have, such as the swimming pool and the sports hub.

"Inverkeithing is really going to miss the school when it leaves, we have to make sure it doesn't lose everything."

Fife Council's head of education and children's services, Shelagh McLean, confirmed that proposals for the new school building would be discussed by councillors at a cabinet committee meeting in the spring.

She added: "We then plan to consult on a proposal, and any decisions on a name would be considered following that consultation."