COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

QUESTION NO. 16

QUESTION: Councillor G. O'Connell

"To ask the Manager for an up to date report on what progress has been made to identify a site for the proposed new primary school in the Lucan area, what discussions have taken place with land owners and with the Department of Education and Skills?"

REPLY:

The Department of Education and Skills has identified that there is a need to accommodate an additional 45,000 primary school pupils and almost 25,000 post primary schools pupils nationally by 2017/2018. The level of increased demand will require that many of the permanent solutions will be needed within three years.On June 1^st 2012 a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Education and Skills and the County and City Managers’ Association for the Acquisition of Sites for School Planning came into effect. South Dublin County Council has been working closely with the Department of Education and Skills to acquire sites to deliver urgently required primary schools in the county, including  Lucan. SDCC identified sites for permanent schools based on the following criteria:

·         being located where there is a demand for school places;

·         meeting the technical requirements of the DES;

·         being consistent with the proper planning and sustainable development objectives for the area; and

·         meeting the technical requirements of the Council, including traffic / water and drainage / etc.

Following consultation with the DES in May / June 2012 a refined shortlist of possible sites in each location was drawn up. Site valuations were finalised by DCC Valuers in July / August 2012 and the DES requested the SDCC progress acquisition of the preferred site for a permanent school in Lucan in October 2012. SDCC is pursuing the acquisition of this site, in an expedient manner reflecting the urgent requirement for permanent schools at this location, and the Valuers, working on behalf of SDCC, are currently in negotiations with the landowner. The permanent school is identified in the Department of Education and Skills 5 Year Programme, launched in March 2012, to be open in 2016. However, the DES requires that a new primary school be open by September 2013 in Lucan and therefore, following consultation with the DES, SDCC identified a site at Tor an Ri to accommodate a school (Scoil Oscar Community National School) at a temporary location in Lucan, until the negotiations to acquire the permanent school site are finalised, thereby ensuring that a school building will be in place by September 2013.