Parents 'beyond frustrated' by delays to school building projects in East Cork

Carrigtwohill Community College is currently housed in temporary accommodation. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

The tenders for a number of significant school building projects, including several to address a shortage of places in East Cork, will not be awarded until the first quarter of next year.

Tenders advertised this summer for a new school building for Carrigtwohill Community College and two new 24-classroom primary schools on the same campus — Scoil Mhuire Naofa, which caters for boys, and the co-ed Scoil Chliodhna. 

About 600 pupils attend the community college, which is currently housed in temporary accommodation. 

In response to a recent parliamentary question from Seán Sherlock, Labour TD for Cork East, Education Minister Norma Foley said the school building project in Carrigtwohill is included in a bundle of projects tendered to the newly established design and build contractors framework. 

The bundle of 10 projects also includes the Patrician Academy in Mallow, Limerick Educate Together Secondary School, Ashbourne Community National School, in Co Meath, and Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School, Co Dublin, among others.

Ms Foley confirmed the tenders were returned on October 27, and they are currently being assessed by the Department of Education's project manager. The awarding of the building contract to the successful contractor is anticipated by March 2022, she said.

“Once a contractor has been appointed, my department will keep the school informed of the construction programme underpinning the contract." 

However, people are "beyond frustrated" with delays with the project, as there has been considerable forbearance over many years, Mr Sherlock said. 

"If people knew exactly why there are delays, instead of having to speculate, there might be some understanding, if the reasons were legitimate," he added.

“The communities will keep campaigning as they have always done and we will keep the pressure on to deliver these projects.” 

There has been a rapid increase in the population of the East Cork area in recent years. A further 8,500 housing units are zoned for the area, which will add to the demand for school places in the coming years.

Announced in 2012 as a "rapid build", the Carrigtwohill school campus project hit a series of planning delays. In 2020, it was granted planning permission by Cork County Council subject to certain conditions.

The three-story building project for Carrigtwohill Community College will give the school space to expand to up to 1,000 students. It will include three classrooms for students with special educational needs, PE halls, and support teaching spaces.