The Department of Education is to build up to 30 new schools over the next three years in Fingal County Council as part of a new fast-track building programme, writes Fiona Gartland
The local authority will be the first in the country to partner the Department of Education in a programme to speed up school building. Under the building programme, the council will act as agent for the department, acquiring sites for new schools, based on their estimates of the numbers of places required.
The sites will be handed over to the department and planning permission for the schools will be fast-tracked. The Fingal area has experienced a population growth of 22 per cent in four years and has the highest percentage of family-forming age groups and under five-year-olds in the country. Demand for school places has rapidly increased, partly due to the arrival of immigrants.
The department hopes to build 13 of the new schools by next September. It is expected that up to five of these will be built for existing schools functioning in temporary accommodation.
It is understood that the department is to seek tenders shortly from companies which will pre-manufacture the buildings.
The council has already acquired sites in Balbriggan, Swords and in the Dublin 15 area.
Fingal Co Council manager David O'Connor said negotiations with landowners or developers are based on the premise that any new housing is more attractive to families if schools and community facilities are guaranteed and provided quickly.
"Although this transaction is cost neutral to the council it has the huge benefit to us that 50 per cent of any savings in capital costs to the department is reinvested in greatly enhanced community facilities on the school site like full-size sports halls, stage and dressing rooms, community meeting rooms, all-weather pitches and playgrounds," he said.