Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

My Department has received numerous representations from concerned parties regarding the provision of a new community school in Ballinamore, County Leitrim. The representations were initially concerned with the acquisition of a site and more recently concentrated on the commencement of architectural planning for the new school building.

My Department recognises the need for a new community school in Ballinamore to facilitate further the amalgamation of the three post-primary schools in the area, and has drafted a schedule of accommodation for this school. The schedule of accommodation is based on the long-term enrolment of 400 pupils and has a proposed floor area of 4,094 square metres. The schedule will provide seven general classrooms, two lecture rooms and 19 specialist rooms, as well as several offices and other ancillary accommodation. It also provides for a PE facility hall comprising a total area of 606 square metres. The external provision allows for a covered area for construction studies, four hard play courts, 32 car parking spaces, an external storage facility and a general yard. In addition, my Department has secured a site for the provision of a new school. The final legal transfer of title is currently under way. My Department is considering the most effective way of delivering this project, including examining the feasibility of allowing it to proceed in the next bundle of public private partnership projects.

I am committed to providing a new school for Ballinamore at the earliest possible date. However, at this stage it is not possible to be definitive regarding a start date for construction of the proposed new school.

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