ONE of the world’s largest consultancies is working on the project to build a new superschool on the outskirts of Cumnock.

The £63.5m state-of-the-art Knockroon Learning and Enterprise Campus is also the biggest capital project ever undertaken by East Ayrshire Council (EAC).

Joining forces with the council at this stage are Faithful+Gould, who have offices in many places including Paris, Dublin, Athens and throughout the UK.

It is the Glasgow-based team of the renowned integrated project and programme management consultancy that will help create the new facility.

Knockroon will provide more than 2000 secondary, primary, early years, supported learning and special education needs pupils at the site.

Its vision is a 21st Century learning and teaching environment with inclusion, health and wellbeing, nurture, support and community access at its heart.

Feeder primary schools whose pupils will progress to Knockroon are Auchinleck, Catrine, Drongan, Logan, Mauchline, Netherthird, New Cumnock, Ochiltree and Sorn.

Existing schools which will merge into the new campus are Cumnock and Auchinleck academies, Barshare and Greenmill primaries and Hillside School, including all associated supported learning centres.

Alistair Kidd, senior project and capital accounting manager with EAC, said: “East Ayrshire Council is delighted to be working with Faithful+Gould who will be acting as employers’ agents and quantity surveyors on the Knockroon Learning and Enterprise Campus.

“Faithful+Gould is one of world’s largest consultancies, with a proven record of delivering project and cost management services on a range of large and complex construction projects.”

Providing all the necessary consultations and procurement procedures are complete, construction is planned to begin next year, with opening scheduled for 2019.

Associate director at Faithful+Gould, Barry Young, added: “East Ayrshire Council’s aspiration is to deliver a state of the art inclusive learning environment for generations to come. Our role will be integral to ensure they realise this ambition and we are motivated and excited to get started.

“We will deliver a facility that recognises the scale of the investment and our contribution will be to optimise capital expenditure, maintenance and lifetime running costs, increase functionality and efficiency, maximise environmental performance and end user satisfaction overall.”

Another important appointment was that of Sheppard Robson as the design team after an extensive procurement exercise undertaken by the council in partnership with the Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland (RIAS).

Deputy chief executive, Alex McPhee, said: “The project attracted interest from some of the world’s biggest architectural companies and Sheppard Robson showed they have a real understanding of our ambitions and how they can be delivered.”