Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 November 2021
73. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education the progress that has been made with a school (details supplied) in regard to the purchase of the site on the Mill Road; the overall timeline for the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57112/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, agreement in principle had been reached to acquire a site for the permanent location of the school in question. Contracts for sale have now been signed, conditional on the landowner providing required infrastructure upgrades to serve the site. My Department have been advised that these infrastructure upgrades are programmed to commence by the end of the year.
The project to provide the permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy is in early architectural planning which involves site surveys, school design stages and the preparation of statutory applications.
As with all school building projects, pre-planning meetings are required with the Local Authority in advance of preparing a Planning Application. This is to ensure the highest probability of a successful planning application in the shortest time possible. A considerable amount of work is required following the pre-planning meeting to prepare a suitably detailed application.
At the pre-planning meeting for the interim accommodation currently on the site, the Local Authority made it clear that the planning application for the permanent accommodation must be cognisant of the overall development plans by the landowner for their wider land holding. Discussions have been ongoing between my Department and the landowner in relation to the overall plan for the area. The landowner’s development plans for the area have been received by my Department and a planning application is being prepared for the additional interim accommodation which the school will require for the 2022/23 academic year. The planning application for the additional interim accommodation is currently being finalised and it is anticipated that it will be submitted to the relevant local authority before the end of this month.
A decision by the Local Authority on the planning application for the further interim accommodation for 2022/23 must be secured before planning can be submitted for the schools permanent accommodation. However, work on preparing for the planning application for the permanent accommodation will be progressed in parallel with the Local Authority's processing of the interim application.
