Schools may be built on NAMA lands
Department of Education officials met the chief executive and other representatives of the National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) in July to outline a list of areas where they are anxious to acquire sites for future educational use.
More than 40 areas have been identified to the agency, mostly around greater Dublin and in urban areas where rising pupil numbers are expected to fuel demand for schools in the next five to 10 years.
They are: Carlow and Cavan towns; Ennis, Co Clare; Cork city; Carrigaline, Fermoy, Mallow, Midleton and Carrigtwohill in Co Cork; Letterkenny, Co Donegal; more than a dozen areas in Dublin city and county; Athenry, Co Galway and Galway city; Celbridge, Naas, Newbridge and Prosperous/Clane in Co Kildare; Kilkenny city; Portarlington and Portlaoise, Co Laois; Limerick city; Drogheda and Dundalk, Co Louth; Ashbourne, Navan, Trim and Ratoath, Co Meath; Athlone and Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, and Wicklow town.
“We haven’t had engagement from NAMA on whether they will be getting sites in those areas. And if they do, we’ll have to decide if they’re appropriate for us,” department assistant secretary Seán O Foghlú told the Oireachtas Education Committee yesterday.
“There are over 50 areas where we have an interest in the medium-to-long-term in relation to sites. They are, typically, areas that are developing and particularly where we haven’t enough sites,” he said.
The time-scale in which any suitable lands could become available for schools may depend on when ownership would transfer to NAMA. The department has also outlined a list of areas of potential for third-level development but a spokesman said these could not be disclosed because of negotiations and commercial sensitivity.
At the same hearing, Fine Gael education spokesman, Fergus O’Dowd, criticised the department’s failure to pay out grants to the 1,500 schools which applied for money a year ago to improve water conservation.
The Irish Examiner reported this month schools face rising council water charges because of the lack of investment. This is despite the fact that a letter from the department days before summer holidays ended told them they could save an average €2,200 by conserving water.
“A commitment was made but it hasn’t been met and schools wasted their time applying to have water conservation projects. The burden of paying for water rates that may have been alleviated will fall back on parents,” Mr O’Dowd said.
Mr O Foghlú said he expects most schools which met the requirements to be approved for funding.
He said most schools would not have to wait until next summer to do the work as it mostly involves small-scale projects such as replacing sink taps, more efficient toilet flushing and similar systems.
