Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the decision by her Department not to secure additional adjacent land in Buncrana, County Donegal, for adequate outdoor green field sports amenities for the 1,000 students that are projected to attend the new three school campuses for the town; and if any new school builds over the past five years have included adjacent outdoor green field sports amenities. [58169/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will be aware that a building project to construct permanent school accommodation for the three schools in question is included in the Department's school building programme to be delivered as part of the National Development Plan. This project follows an extremely challenging and protracted site acquisition process, under which a CPO process ultimately had to be undertaken.

The development of the shared education campus consists of an 8-classroom primary school with accommodation for pupils with special educational needs for Gaelscoil Bhun Crannach, as well as a new school building for Crana College and Coláiste Chineál Eoghain to accommodate approximately 800 pupils, also with accommodation for students with special educational needs.

The project has been devolved for delivery to Donegal Education and Training Board.

A Design Team for the project was appointed in July 2022. The design team will now design the buildings, obtain the necessary statutory planning permissions, and move the project onwards to tender and construction stages in due course. The Department expect to receive the Stage 1 report from Donegal ETB in Quarter 2, 2023.

As the project is at an early stage in the delivery process, it is not possible at this time to give a date for its completion. Please be assured that the Donegal ETB will be engaging directly with the school authorities to keep them informed of progress

Significant PE facilities for the schools concerned are being constructed as part of this campus development. At post-primary level, these include:

- PE Hall, which includes Fitness Suite, Changing Suites, Showers and Equipment Stores, a total of 1,048m²

- 5 Hard Play Courts with a total area of 3,060m²

- 4 Secure Soft Play Areas, 200m² in total

In addition to this, the schedule of accommodation for the primary school includes the following physical education facilities:

- General Purpose Hall of 195m² plus associated areas

- Ballcourts with a total area of 585m²

- Junior Play Area of 200m ²

- 2 Secure Soft Play Areas, which are 100m ²in total

- Sensory Garden, which is another 100m ²

These facilities are consistent with that outlined in my Department's design guidelines for new schools.

Furthermore, as per any new school building, where the site area and building configuration permits, an area should be reserved suitable for use as a practice playing field. This has been the consistent position and has applied to new schools built in the five years referred to by the Deputy.