Tuesday April 28th 2026
Aberlady Primary School is set for a £3.5million extension
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A village primary school will be able to serve hot meals from its own kitchen instead of having them delivered as part of a £3.5million expansion plan.
East Lothian planners have granted permission for Aberlady Primary School to extend its building space to create new classrooms and nursery space for families in the community.
It is the third planning application for the extension approved in the last six years, with previous ones lapsing without work being carried out. This time the council says it hopes to start the work this summer.
The school will see the number of early learning and nursery places available double from 20 to 40 under the proposals. East Lothian Council said the additional space will allow the school to have its own kitchen so it no longer has to have hot meals delivered from another primary school.
Two temporary units in the playground and storage sheds will be removed and a purpose-built nursery garden created for the children to play and learn in.
A report on the application revealed there had been no objections but one letter of representation had been received commenting on the proposal.
It said: “The representation welcomes the investment in the school and the long-term improvements this will bring for pupils and the local community. However, it states that potential future changes to nursery hours and nursery accommodation is queried while the extension work is underway.
“Information is also requested on the costs of the extension to help parents and the wider community understand the financial implications of the current proposal.
“In response to the above, the financial implications of the development and potential changes to nursery hours and accommodation is not a planning consideration.”
The council has confirmed £3.5million has been set aside for extension and the primary school is moving to term time only nursery provision from August this year.
East Lothian Council announced plans to reduce the number of nurseries offering full time provision last year.
A council spokesperson said: “We’re pleased that planning permission has been granted to extend Aberlady primary school. The new space will double the number of early learning and childcare spaces we can offer and create a nursery to primary 2 hub for our youngest children.
“It also means Aberlady will have a full production kitchen where they can prepare hot meals for their school, rather than have these delivered from Gullane primary. Subject to appointment of a contractor, work is due to begin this summer for completion by Autumn 2027.”
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