Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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103. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a planning application will be submitted to Meath County Council for the planned permanent school building for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56208/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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 Shannon Homes Masterplan for the area. Discussions have been ongoing between my Department and Shannon Homes Ltd. in relation to the overall plan for the area. The Shannon Homes Masterplan for the area has 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.