Ardrossan councillor Amanda Kerr is urging North Ayrshire Council to speed up work on a new school for the town.
The Labour member spoke out after it was revealed that work on the project, on the old Shell refinery site, has been delayed.
The Ardrossan education and community campus is now not likely to open by August 2025.
Rising construction costs issues relating to procurement have been blamed for the hold-up.
Councillor Kerr said: “Ardrossan Academy should have been replaced 10 years ago but when the SNP came to power in 2012, they tried to merge the school with Auchenharvie Academy.
"Parents and the community fought back and stopped the forced merger, but the SNP’s failure meant Largs got a new school not Ardrossan.
“Ten years on, the SNP have come back to power and inherited a funded proposal to finally replace Ardrossan Academy. Within weeks they have announced a major delay in the project.
“The bottom line is that the existing school building is not fit for purpose and when you see some of the excellent educational facilities that other schools enjoy, it is clear young people at Ardrossan Academy are being let down.
"Ardrossan deserves a new school, and it is the council's responsibility to deliver it."
North Ayrshire Council insist a further update will be provided to the cabinet later this year.
A spokesperson said: “Preparatory ground works on the site of the proposed Ardrossan education and community campus are now expected to get underway next year.
“The campus is the first of a range of exciting projects planned for the site, with a new marina development, housing, hotel, coastal walks and the International Marine Science Centre also earmarked for the derelict area.
"Work on the campus has been delayed and it is now unlikely that the new school will open on its previously-expected date of August 2025.
"Factors such as rising construction costs and a complex procurement process have affected the timescale for this major investment project.
“Remediation work at the former Shell Oil site was due to start this summer, to enable construction on the new campus to begin in 2023.
“To ensure that best value is achieved, any future procurement processes will fully consider the challenges posed by worldwide inflation and associated rising costs. This will allow a successful contractor to begin remediation work next year.
“Ensuring momentum is sustained, work has already begun to re-examine available possibilities for the design and procurement elements of this nationally-significant regeneration project.
“Options will be presented to cabinet in the autumn which will set out the alternatives and allow for a decision to be taken on the preferred way forward."
Councillor Shaun Macaulay, the council's deputy leader, added: “The simple fact is that, along with many local authorities across the country, we are in a very different economic situation than the one we started with.
"We will keep everyone fully informed as we move forward. There may be a delay but we are still confident of delivering on a range of exciting and ambitious projects for Ardrossan and the wider area.”
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