Milestone Reached as New Sports Pitch Opens at Dumfries High School Build

The new build project at Dumfries High School ticked off a major milestone last week when the new sports pitch opened.

The school build project, valued over £50m, is well underway and the build part is on schedule to be completed by April 2026. Once the new school is operational, phase 3 will commence which includes the demolition of the old school including the David Keswick Athletic Centre, and landscaping works. Phase 3 is due for completion in March 2027.

The sports pitch has been out of commission since April last year due to the building works, so having it back in action is a big boost for the school and our community club partner, Greystone Rovers. The Greystone Rovers Foundation (GRF) entered into a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Council to operate the Dumfries High School Sports Facilities in March 2013, and the relationship with the Council and Greystone has been further strengthened thanks to the pitch being operational once again.

Cllr Maureen Johnstone, Chair of the Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing Committee at Dumfries and Galloway Council said:

The reopening of the pitch marks an important milestone in the new build project at Dumfries High School. We committed to having the sports pitch back in use as soon as we could and after relocation, rebuilding and relaying, it is ready to use for both our school and our local community. I hope the pitch is well used and that the council continues it’s strong relationship with Greystone Rovers for many years to come.”

Cllr Lynne Davis, Vice-Chair of the Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing Committee added:

I would like to thank Mogan Sindall for their efforts on the build site thus far. They have been engaging with the local community throughout the works and I look forward to this engagement continuing as the build work progresses. Now that we are into 2025, we can say that ‘the new school will be ready next year’ and the sports pitch is the first part of the jigsaw in making this happen.”

Stuart Parker, Managing Director of Morgan Sindall Construction Scotland, said:

The handover of this state-of-the-art 3G sports pitch is an exciting milestone for the new Dumfries High School project. It's a facility that will deliver immediate benefits to the school, as well as the localsports teams.

It's been fantastic to work so closely with the community on this project, including our sponsorship of the Greystone Rovers, which includes the provision of away strip shirts and substitute jackets for the team.

We now look forward to continuing our close collaboration with Dumfries and Galloway Council, hub South West, the school, and local sports clubs as we work towards delivering this transformative educational facility that will benefit the wider community for generations to come."

Graeme Muir, Charity Managerfor Greystone Rovers commented:

Greystone Rovers is excited at the opening and completion of the new 3G sporting facility as part of the Council’s learning town plans.

Officials at Greystonewould at this stage like to sincerely thank all those individuals , organisations and internally the understanding and patience of all our volunteer coaches , parents and young members who have supported and assisted the club with temporary arrangements during the period of construction of the new 3G facility.”

Michael Ross, CEO of hub South West said:

The new sports pitches at Dumfries High School are a fantastic asset to the community, providing state-of-the-art facilities that will benefit students and local sports groups for years to come. At hub South West, we are proud to have worked in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council and Morgan Sindall to deliver these exceptional facilities and look forward to continuing works on the main school building. This project showcases the impact of collaboration and our shared commitment to creating spaces that promote health, well-being, skills development and community engagement while supporting sustainable development."

ENDS

PR provided by Dumfries & Galloway Council.