Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Bacik for raising this matter. I hope to outline to her satisfaction the current position on the provision of a permanent school building for Harold's Cross Educate Together Secondary School. It is, as the Senator said, a co-educational second level school which will provide 1,000 post-primary school places and a four-classroom special educational needs unit to serve the Dublin 6 Clonskeagh and Dublin 6W school planning areas as a regional solution. As the Senator also said, the school opened its doors for the first intake of pupils in September 2020 in interim accommodation on the site of the former greyhound racing stadium at Harold's Cross.This will be the permanent location of the school. The site will also form a campus accommodating the permanent school building for Harold's Cross Educate Together National School, which also, as the Senator is aware, currently is in interim accommodation on the site.

I understand the joint building project for both schools is currently at an advanced architectural planning stage and an initial design for the campus was previously presented to Dublin City Council in a pre-planning meeting in August 2019. Thereafter, owing to various changes that were subsequently required to the design, a further pre-planning meeting with Dublin City Council was held on 26 January 2021. The plans were met with a positive response by Dublin City Council and its comments are being addressed in order to finalise the preparation of the planning application for the schools. I have been told by the Department that the schools' representatives will be invited to a meeting shortly, where the plans will be presented in advance of lodging the planning application, which, as the Senator mentioned, was due to happen in the first quarter of this year.

Previous planning permission for interim accommodation on the site was appealed to An Bord Pleanála. It is important to state there is a strong possibility that the planning permission for the permanent build, once secured, could also be appealed to An Bord Pleanála. However, it is good to hear that the opening of the secondary school has been successful. I note what the Senator has said on the issue of the waiting list. At this point, it is important that the planning application is submitted and that the school is opened as soon as possible. I will bring the issue to the attention of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, as obviously all school buildings and the roll-out of such projects fall under her remit. I will tell her that the Senator is anxious to see this matter expedited as soon as possible.