New Fife College campus delayed to 2025 as ScotGov cost soars to £155m

Through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), the Scottish Government has committed £154.5m to the project, with the college providing additional investment.

Part of the overall cost will also include a capital investment from Fife College of up to £4m.

The college facility is just one part of the new Dunfermline Learning Campus. The campus also includes two new-build high schools (St Columba’s RC High School and Woodmill High School) that opened this year and were partially funded by the local authority and Scottish Government. 

Fife's portion of the campus was also originally expected to open in 2024, but the college and Scottish Funding Council have confirmed that it will not be ready until the 2025-2026 academic year. 

A spokesperson for Fife College said: “In line with other current public sector capital builds the project has experienced capital cost pressures. Scottish Government and SFC remain committed to the project and have agreed to provide additional funding to meet these pressures.

“Progress on site construction continues well and the College looks forward to welcoming students to the new campus in the 2025-26 academic year.”

Images from the Fife College construction site at the Dunfermline Learning Campus show that much work remains. (Image: Gordon Terris)

Although the high school projects were funded through a combination of council and Scottish Government contributions as part of the government's £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP), the government committed from the start to fund the entirety of the college portion of the campus.

Officials have confirmed that this agreement is still in place, even though the price has risen by 72%. This means that the government will cover the majority of the £64.9m added to the costs since the project commenced, with the college providing a supplement.

When the project was first announced in 2019, the cost for the full Dunfermline Learning Campus project–including both high schools and all associated amenities–was estimated to fall between £150m and £180m. 

The new cost of the Fife College portion alone has already risen to within that range. Once completed, officials estimate that the campus will house more than 4,500 pupils and college students.

Balfour Beatty was awarded the contract for the Fife College facility in 2023. Initial plans described three interlinking buildings which will house state-of-the-art teaching facilities and learning spaces for students, staff and business clients.

The new Fife College facility is expected to include workshops for engineering and construction, a university hub for students studying to degree level, sports hall and an events centre for community, college and business usage. 

It will also include outdoor spaces for childcare courses, external dining areas for hospitality students, outdoor workshops for built environment courses and other outdoor teaching areas.

The Dunfermline Learning Campus consists of two local high schools alongside the Fife College facility still under construction. (Image: Gordon Terris)As part of the project's overall mission, the college aims for the new facility to be net zero by 2035.

Both of the campus high schools will also have specific energy efficiency targets baked into their LEIP funding agreements. 

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth and Higher and Further Education minister Graeme Dey visited the work site earlier in the year and were briefed on the project's timeline.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) said that delays are not uncommon for projects of this scale.

They said: "These can be attributed to a highly challenging construction market as well as a commitment to deliver on the Net Zero Public Sector Building Standard which supports public bodies to meet their net zero commitments for new build and major refurbished infrastructure projects.

"When it opens in academic year 2025-26, the Dunfermline Learning Campus will deliver state-of-the-art facilities which will be a significant asset for students in supporting the development of their skills, whilst playing an important role in supporting the economy of both the local area and more broadly across Scotland."

A Scottish Government spokesperson added:

“The Scottish Government is aware of the rise in costs for the Fife College element of the Dunfermline Learning Campus project.

“We have worked closely with the Scottish Funding Council to ensure funding is in place with the Scottish Government providing up to £154.5m in capital investment for the project.”