Moray Council to ask for court permission to use Roysvale Park for new Forres Academy Construction
Moray Council has today (21 January) approved plans to ask for court permission to temporarily use part of Roysvale Park for the construction of the new Forres Academy.
In accordance with the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the council must get court approval before disposing of, or changing the use of, Common Good land.
A statutory consultation on the use of Common Good land was held from 18 September to 12 November 2024, including a public drop-in session on 21 October. Following this, a total of 275 responses were received through the official response template, along with 17 responses via email and two by post. All responses have been carefully reviewed and are available for public viewing on the council’s website.
After reviewing the responses, the council has decided to go ahead with the court application to temporarily use the Common Good land for site setup, a contractor’s compound, and parking for construction traffic during the build. The local authority will also ask for approval for the permanent development of the land as a bus drop-off area for the school.
Speaking after the approval of full council, Moray Council leader, Cllr Kathleen Robertson, said: “There has, understandably, been significant interest from the community in the future of Roysvale Park, particularly with regard to its use for the new Forres Academy build. Today’s decision to move forward with a court application is an important step towards making the new school a reality.
“I want to thank everyone who shared their views through the consultation process. We’ve carefully reviewed all the feedback, and this decision allows us to move forward with the development while ensuring the best for our pupils and future generations.”