There's lingering disappointment in Marlborough over the scrapping of a major school rebuild project, despite a recent funding injection from this year's budget.
The plan for Marlborough Boys' College, Marlborough Girls' College, and Bohally Intermediate School was the largest school rebuild project in the country.
But after costs ballooned from $170 million to as much as $405 million, the Government announced earlier this year it wouldn't be going ahead.
Marlborough Boys' College principal John Kendal told 1News he held out hope right up to the announcement.
"I'm going to be honest because the amounts of work and the design, it was pretty impressive. But totally understand that the budget was in excess of what was originally planned," he said.
Instead, $70 million was allocated in last month's budget for the three schools. The Ministry of Education said it couldn't say exactly how much each school will get as it's still commercially sensitive.
But 1News understands that because of the age and condition of the buildings, Marlborough Boys' College will get a larger chunk of the funding.
A technology block, which used to be an army barracks during WW2, will be rebuilt, as well as a range of other infrastructure upgrades.
Kendal said it was a relief to finally get the funding confirmed.
"It has been disappointing within the community but the clarity and the direction that we know that we have now got in terms of our budget to really get on with some projects and soil being turned this year."
Marlborough Girls' College will have three of its older blocks refurbished and another one demolished. But acting principal Emily Stenhouse said what they really needed was new schools.
"Yeah, I mean, that's a small win for us but it's still pretty disappointing from what we were expecting," she said.
Marlborough Girls' College deputy principal Lynda Shanks, who was on the team leading the rebuild, said she was "really gutted" when she heard the initial announcement about the rebuild project.
"We spent such a lot of time to really think about what does education need in this region and yeah, obviously a building doesn't make education and learning but it was going to enable us to deliver a better-quality education," she said.
Shanks said the funding would go a small way to upgrading some areas. Marlborough Girls' College was built in the 1960s and the hall is small, while both the gyms aren't large enough for full netball or basketball courts.
Stakeholders – including the schools and local iwi – spent almost a decade working on the plans which was due to begin this February. The ministry said $25 million was spent in the planning process, including buying a number of homes to make way for the new site and building a recently completed hockey turf.
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