Highland Council to show Charleston Academy new-build plans at Inverness drop-ins

The Highland Council will put plans for a new secondary school building at Charleston Academy in Inverness on display at two drop-in events in December and January, ahead of a planning application for the scheme.

The council said the events would be held at Charleston Academy Community Complex on Thursday 10 December 2026 and Thursday 21 January 2027, both from 2pm to 7pm, to gather community feedback before the application is submitted.

Hub North Scotland is the council's delivery partner for the project and Morgan Sindall has been identified as the preferred main contractor, the council said. The council's separate project page for the scheme describes Morgan Sindall as having been appointed as the main contractor.

Cllr John Finlayson, Chair of Highland Council's Education Committee, said: "The Charleston Academy Community PoD is a key Highland Investment Plan project, which will improve the learning environment for pupils, support health and wellbeing, and create opportunities for the wider community."

The scheme

The council said the new building would be designed as a Community Point of Delivery (PoD), the model it is applying to all new school buildings under the Highland Investment Plan, combining education with community facilities, council services and partner organisations. Charleston Community Complex will form part of the new building.

According to the council, the facilities will include a four-court sports hall, a two-court gymnasium and a dance studio that can be booked outside school hours, together with a community cafe and a community hub giving access to sport and drama facilities out of hours.

The council's release lists flexible offices for staff and partner agency staff. Its project page describes this element as a touchdown staff base for council and partner agency staff.

A stakeholder group has been set up for the project, made up of council officials, elected members, local community groups, High Life Highland, Charleston Community Complex Management Committee and Charleston Academy staff and parents, the council said.

Timeline

The council said works are due to start on site in 2028, with the school and community facilities expected to open in 2030. Its project page sets out a draft timeline of a planning application in 2027, a start on site in 2028, opening in 2030 and landscaping, demolition and all other works completing in 2031.

In the same release, Cllr Finlayson said he looked forward to seeing work start on site next year.

Background

The project is funded through the Highland Investment Plan, which the council describes as a £2.1bn, 20-year capital programme for schools, roads and local infrastructure across the region, paid for through borrowing and a 2% ring-fenced allocation of Council Tax revenue. The council says the creation of community hubs known as Points of Delivery is a key element of the plan.

In June 2024 the council described the Charleston Academy project as a new build based on a masterplan for redevelopment of the entire campus, including the Community Complex and the potential future relocation of Kinmylies Primary. The same update said RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) issues at Charleston Academy needed to be addressed as a priority in line with policy.

Councillors gave unanimous support to Hub North Scotland as delivery partner for the plan at a council meeting on 27 March 2025, according to Hub North Scotland, which says it has delivered more than £1.05bn of community infrastructure for public sector partners since it was created in 2011. In May 2025 it listed Beauly Primary, Charleston Academy, Dunvegan Primary, Fortrose Academy and Inverness High School among the first-phase school projects, with operational dates between 2027 and 2030.

In February 2026 the council named Morgan Sindall, Morrison Construction, Robertson Group and Ogilvie as preferred contractors for seven first-phase projects from Thurso to Inverness. The council said the appointments allowed the contractors to be involved in the consultation, design and pre-planning stages.

Morgan Sindall Construction said its appointment covers the new primary school in Beauly and the new secondary school at Charleston Academy, and that it would work with the council, hub North Scotland and stakeholders through those stages. Stuart Parker, Managing Director of Morgan Sindall Construction in Scotland, said the appointments reflected the firm's continued work with the council and the strength of its Inverness-based team.

The first of the two Charleston drop-in events takes place on 10 December 2026.