Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
751. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education the number of temporary school buildings provided for under S.I. No. 114 of 2021 including location, size and current state of development in tabular form; and the way such developments comply with the policies of proper planning as set out in the relevant local authority development plans including impacts on traffic, amenities and other matters. [63633/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the statutory instrument to which he refers, inter alia, amended the pre-existing exempted development Classes 20C and 57 of the Planning and Development Regulations, supplemented by the insertion of a new class 20 D with the effect of:
- Expanding the existing exemption under CLASS 20C to allow the temporary use of all public buildings as a school for a period not exceeding 2 years, and increase the pre-existing exemption for extensions to school buildings from 160sqm up to 210 sqm, and to insert a limit on the use of such exemption to just onc
- Allowing schools to construct temporary structures to facilitate the continued delivery of education, subject to the conditions including
- No such structure shall be erected for a period exceeding 5 years;
- The gross floor area of such structure shall not exceed 30% of the gross floor area of the existing school;
- No such structure shall exceed two storeys;
- Any such structure shall comply with the Department of Education Primary and Post Primary Technical Guidance Documents for the time being in force
- These new regulations, which came into force last March, are important in the context of providing the necessary scope to maintain the delivery of education both during the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic while also adhering to the general principles of proper planning and sustainable development. As set above the exemptions provided under SI 114 predominately relate to existing school buildings and land on which a school is situated thereby enabling greater use of existing infrastructure insofar as is possible in line with general Government Policy on compact growth.
- As these school building projects are generally devolved to school authorities for delivery, the information sought by the Deputy in respect of relevant projects is held at local individual school level rather than centrally by the Department. General feedback from school authorities and other devolved delivery partners is such that the new regulations have greatly assisted in streamlining the delivery of school building projects more generally, particularly for smaller projects. This is particularly important in supporting schools during the current Covid environment.
