Taking delay to a whole new level

Bitter disappointment will prevail yet again among pupils, parents, staff and the many other would-be users of this £60m. flagship west coast re-development. Regardless of the odds, all had somehow hoped to see work finally begin on schedule for a September 2017 opening.

But instead the scheme – deferred at the behest of Treasury for an eleventh-hour independent report – will not even reach the States chamber for debate in time.

Equally demoralised will be the Education minister for whom the vision – which would see the final phase of the Education Development Plan Programme to renew all the island's high schools, post-16 and special education facilities – has taken up so much of his time in office it has become almost a mini crusade.

Whilst outwardly attempting a positive stance and setting the next target date in his sights – an April debate and autumn 2018 opening – it will nonetheless be galling for the board to have come so close only to be thwarted at the final fence due to political process.

Concerns over the size and scale of the secondary and primary schools in particular are thought to be the main stumbling blocks to have put these two departments at loggerheads.

For the neutral, the sight of the States adopting prudence and running a value-for-money rule over the controversial multi-million-pound development, which also includes a pre-school nursery, autism hub and a large indoor sports hall, will be a welcome one, especially with T&R out to slice £7m. from the initial budget.

What will be less palatable will be if the delay ends up costing the island all this and more.

We will be left with a situation where island youngsters – desperate to enjoy a level educational playing field with their contemporaries – will have instead been forced to share their 1970s classrooms with buckets and leaking roofs for another miserable 12 months – and for absolutely no gain at all.