Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr John Buckley yesterday unveiled a €48 million proposal to develop the former diocesan seminary of St Finbarr's in Farranferris into a training and education centre.
Under the plan, drawn up by O'Flynn Construction, the main Gothic-style, 120-year-old building, measuring some 3,700 sq m (40,000sq ft), would be retained and refurbished. Six new buildings would be constructed nearby.
The old three-storey former seminary would be used to accommodate Fás, the Northside Community Enterprise and the Cork City VEC, to provide adult education and facilitate progression to programmes provided by University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology.
The six new buildings would provide additional office space for Fás, the Cope Foundation, which works with people with intellectual disability, Rehab, and Cabas, which works with autistic children.
The seminary building, which closed as a post-primary school in June 2006, is a listed structure and funding for its refurbishment and the construction of other units would come from the development of 108 private residential units on 11 acres of the 22-acre site.
Michael O'Flynn of O'Flynn Construction said about 700 people would be accommodated on the new campus, which would also feature a creche for up to 150 children, outdoor recreational areas and decked car parking.
A planning application will be lodged with Cork City Council by October next and tenders will be sought from developers for the residential scheme, said Mr O'Flynn. O'Flynn Construction will not be bidding for the project.
The organisations housed in the former seminary building and in some of the six new campus units would become tenants of the diocese.
Bishop Buckley welcomed the report and said he was glad the proposal would see Farranferris continue its 120-year history of training and education. He paid tribute to Mr O'Flynn, a past pupil of the school, for his voluntary work in producing the plan.
