Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:7. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the progress of a permanent building for a school (details supplied). [35382/21]
View answerThursday, 1 July 2021
Questions (7)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Ó Laoghaire. Will the Minster provide an update on the progress of the provision of a permanent building for the Cork Educate Together Secondary School, ETSS?
The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under the Department’s design and build programme. I want to be clear that this project is a priority for the Department. The permanent location for the school will be on a greenfield site in the Department’s ownership at Maryborough, Douglas, Cork. The school when complete will provide accommodation for 600 pupils and a special education needs unit with three classrooms. The timeline for the delivery of this project has been impacted by difficulties in obtaining planning permission. An application for planning permission was previously refused by the local authority. The Department appealed this decision to An Bord Pleanála but it was upheld.
Due to a change in the local government boundary arrangements in Cork, the site for this Douglas ETSS is now within the environs of Cork City Council. In that regard, the Department has engaged with the council in advance of a new application for planning permission that can take account of concerns raised about traffic management. A pre-planning meeting was held on 16 April with Cork City Council. The Department’s project manager is actively working with Cork City Council's roads department to agree various traffic requirements in advance of lodging the planning application. A planning consultant has also been appointed to assist in the planning process and it is anticipated that the planning application will be lodged in quarter 3 of 2021.
It is not possible to provide a timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured. The Department will continue to address the interim accommodation requirements for the school and keep the patron body and school updated regarding the progress of the application. The Deputy will be familiar with this matter and I am sure he will appreciate that there was an issue with the original application for planning permission. However, the determination, tenacity and focus of the Department in this regard is demonstrated by the fact that we are moving towards a second application.
I thank the Minister for her reply. Cork Educate Together Secondary School was founded in 2016. This situation has been ongoing for five years now. In September, the children who started secondary school in the school's first year will be sitting their leaving certificate examinations. Overall, there are 360 students, or approximately 60 students in each year. However, approximately 200 children apply to go to the school every year. There is a great need for this school to be delivered as quickly as possible. The dedicated catchment area for the school is Douglas. The school was originally set up in Nagel Community College for a year before moving to Griffith College. Completing this school is a major issue for children in the Douglas area. It is also a major issue for people who wish to have their children educated in an Educate Together school.
I appreciate the points the Deputy has made, especially the point regarding the students who have moved through the years. I understand the impact on the entire school community, including the staff of the school, the board of management, the parents and, as I said, the students themselves. The Deputy will also appreciate, however, that, as with any application for planning permission, there is always the risk of refusal. In this case, the planning application was made and, unfortunately, that was the outcome. To reduce the associated risks the Department has engaged the services of a planning consultant to assist with the planning process. Discussions have also taken place with the planners and engineers of Cork City Council, which is important, and also with representatives of the roads and transport division of the council, which is significant as that is where there is an issue. A formal pre-planning meeting has also taken place. The application will aim to address any concerns raised by the previous refusal of planning permission by Cork County Council and we are moving this forward at pace.
I appreciate what the Minister is saying and that there has been a concerted effort to try to obtain planning permission and get the school built. We have to consider what the children are going through. Only half a class can do art, high-tech teaching or science at any one time. There are no physical education, PE, facilities in the school, so the students are being bussed to other facilities to do their PE. A great deal of time is lost from education because of the time spent travelling on buses. I appreciate that the Minister and Department are making serious efforts regarding this project. Some children at the school will never see this new school. The new building is needed urgently.
I appreciate the Deputy's genuine interest in this issue and the necessity to advance this project as quickly as possible.
I can confirm that we are doing all we can. Certainly we hit a block in terms of the planning but we have reconfigured and reassessed and are doing all we can to ensure the next application will succeed.
I appreciate the points made by the Deputy. The Department has also approved the rental of additional rooms to provide sufficient accommodation for the 2021-22 academic year and is continuing to work with the patron body. I can confirm to the Deputy that there will be sufficient interim accommodation for September 2021. I appreciate the urgency of it and we are very cognisant of the importance of advancing this as quickly as possible.