Plans for the brand new Perth High School building look set to be approved on Wednesday.
The estimated cost of the project recently escalated by a further £10 million - from £58.4 million to £68.7 million.
Council officers have recommended councillors approve the project when they meet virtually to scrutinise the plans on March 16.
Planning approval for the triangular-shaped building - built to Passivhaus standards - will be determined by councillors on Perth and Kinross Council 's planning and development management committee on Wednesday.
Increases in inflation and construction costs led Perth and Kinross Council to approve a further £10.4 million to the project last month at PKC's budget meeting.
It came just months after councillors approved an additional £8.3 million for the project in October 2021. Projection costs have soared from £50 million to £68.7 million in less than a year.
In October 2021 officers recommended not increasing the budget for Perth High School then due to the volatility of the market and instead reassessing when PKC set its 2022/23 budget last month. But the Conservative administration moved to allocate additional funding in October to demonstrate its commitment to the project.
The new school will be built within the grounds of the existing Perth High School on Perth 's Oakbank Road.
The current school - built in 1971 - is in the southern part of the site. The new school will be built on the western part with pupils continuing to be taught in the current school building during construction.
Once the new building is complete the old school will be demolished. The final phase will be landscaping and forming the remaining pitches.
It will be built in a triangular shape over three levels with an additional lower ground floor in the southern part due to a change in site level.
There will be a large open double-height theatre, breakout and dining spaces as well an outdoors dining space. New sports pitches will be laid out on the north/east of the school site.
Two new accesses will be formed on Viewlands Road West. The existing accesses on Oakbank Road will be retained. One will continue to serve the current car park which will be retained. The other entrance will have bollards installed to restrict access to bikes and pedestrians.
Concerns have been raised about noise. The report of handling states the impact will be "short-term". Environmental Health officers have recommended construction hours be restricted to Monday to Friday from 0700 to 1900 and Saturday 0800 to 1300 hours.
At its closest point the new school is 20.8 metres from neighbouring property boundaries.
The report going before councillors states: "At this closest point the second floor is cut back on the corner to form a terrace, which sets back windows further from the boundary.
"It is considered that the design of the building and intervening distance, combined with boundary treatments is adequate to mitigate the impacts of the development on existing residential amenity along this boundary."
The proposed service access is opposite a house but "is not considered to unacceptably impact" it.
The report of handling describes the arrangement as "not dissimilar to the existing Perth HS and Oakbank PS access, which also face two existing dwellinghouses".
It continues: "As a result of proposed level of use and being off set, the new access is not considered to unacceptably impact residential amenity."
If approved, the new school is scheduled to open some time in the summer of 2024.
PKC's convener of lifelong learning Caroline Shiers is looking forward to seeing the major project progress.
Cllr Shiers told the Perthshire Advertiser: "The £68.7m project will replace the existing main school building with an expanded capacity of 1600 pupils. It will offer modern classrooms, high specification labs and workshops alongside open plan learning plazas and breakout areas with an expanded support for learning department.
"The current sports block built in 2015 will be retained alongside a range of new indoor and outdoor PE facilities including a new 3G Astroturf and grass pitches alongside a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA). In line with the aims of the Scottish Government’s climate change agenda and the council’s/our own climate change ambitions the building will be constructed using Passivhaus principles to address energy efficiency.
"The project is being funded in partnership between PKC and the Scottish Government. This is a really exciting stage in the project of delivering a new Perth High School. I am really looking forward to seeing the new building completed."
