COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE (2)
Monday, May 27, 2013
HEADED ITEM NO. 12
HEADED ITEM: P. Department
Part 8 – proposal for 2 no. temporary schools on site at Killinniny Road
REPLY:
In Autumn 2011 The Department of Education and Skills and the City and County Managers Association (CCMA) established a partnership with the aim of realising the provision of additional school accommodation urgently required to meet the forecasted demand for 45,000 primary school places by 2017/2018. South Dublin County Council's role in this inter-agency programme is to identify and acquire sites on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. This role formally came into effect on June 1st 2012 under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of Education and Skills and the City and County Managers' Association for the Acquisition of Sites for School Planning.
The Department of Education and Skills requested that South Dublin County Council identify sites for primary schools in at least six locations in the County, including Firhouse. This request is based on demographic projections derived from census data, the pattern of school enrolments and data from the Department of Social and Community Affairs as well as a local survey and school establishment process that included three applications in relation to the Firhouse area, two of which were successful. The Council has no role in relation to school establishment or patronage and the Departments requirement to provide sites for school accommodation in the Firhouse area was again recently reiterated to the Council.
The site subject to this Part 8 is located to the south of the established residential areas of Carriglea and Carrigwood and is bounded to the north by Ballycullen Drive and to the south by Killinniny Road. An existing football pitch is located to the east of the site and the Firhouse Community Centre is located to the west. Further residential areas, including Woodstown, Wood Dale, Hunters Wood and Oldcourt are located to the south of Killinniny Road. The site is centrally located in the Firhouse-Ballycullen area and is within 1km of almost all existing houses, maximising the potential for walking and cycling to school.
The subject site forms the most westerly portion of a larger 2.3 ha site at Killinniny Road that the DoE&S has sought to permanently acquire from the Council. Such an acquisition would be subject to a land disposal by the Council under a separate procedure, Section 183 of the Planning and Development Act, (2000, as amended). It is envisaged that this Part 8 is the initial step in the Section 183 land disposal of the 2.3ha site. The Part 8 subject site is a grassed area that is subject to occasional use, but is generally underutilised in an area that is well served with public open space. A footpath dissects the open space and provides a pedestrian link between Ballycullen Drive and Killinniny Road. The larger potential disposal site does inlcude an established football pitch leased to a local club, that will be relocated as part of any future permanent school development.
In November 2012 the DoE&S revised upwards the number of schools required to serve this area to 2no. 16 classroom schools and advised that there is a requirement for temporary accommodation to be in place by September 2013. In order to ensure that cost outlays for the DoE&S associated with providing 2no. temporary schools SDCC investigated the how the site could be best managed in order that the temporary schools would not impede on the best design and layout for the 2no. permanent schools, should the Council agree to dispose of the larger, 2.3ha site. Whilst the Part 8 statutory timeable now precludes delivery by September, it remains possible by late 2013 and it is understood that the Department of Education and Skills is seeking short-term temporary accommodation for the initial school intake.
Further to recent consultation with local elected members, further details in relation the need for schools at this location was submitted to South Dublin County Council by the Department of Education and Skills. This report sets out that given the given the historic enrolment increase and predicted future increases based on the numbers of children in pre-school age groups living in the area, the Department of Education and Skills is of the view that the establishment of new schools is essential in the area to cater for this increase and also to add to the choice of school type available to parents in the area. The geographic distribution of the existing primary schools across the overall area is noted. A total of eleven primary schools are situated in the Oldbawn area while there are just three primary schools located in Firhouse, serving the same population of 5-12 year old children. It is the Departments assessment that the projected demand for increased pupil places could not be catered for by the three existing schools in the Firhouse area and therefore the data suggest that new schools should be located within that particular geographic area.
The proposed Part 8 comprises two stages. The first stage involves the construction of of 2no. three classroom schools on an SDCC owned site to the east of the Firhouse Community Centre between Ballycullen Drive and Killinniny Road. It is proposed that the schools would be permitted for a period up to four years and this would cater for a single class intake each year for three years. Along with the three classrooms the temporary schools would accommodate a small resource room, two small offices and a staff room and would have a floor area of approximately 400sq m. each. Set down areas with a minimum of 15 no. car parking spaces, together with staff car parking would be provided off Ballycullen Drive and off Killinniny Road. The car parking area off Killinniny Road would be used for drop-off during school hours and would be available as a public car park outside these times, to serve the local community and would be controlled and managed by SDCC. The proposal would also involve the realignment of an existing footpath connecting Ballycullen Drive and Killinniny Road and this realigned path would connect with the existing gate onto Killinniny Road.
The second stage involves the dismantling of the temporary schools after a period of up to four years, and the construction of a public playground on the site of the school playground associated with one of the schools. This playground would have a toddler mutliplay piece of equipment, a toddler swing and an older kids swing, a multi-seesaw, and a couple of motorbike springers. This playground would be enclosed by railings and planting and the resultant gradient differential created by the required cut into the site would be landscaped, thereby enhancing the existing hedgerow on site. A number of car parking spaces would be retained to the north of the site, off Ballycullen Drive.
The existing football pitch to the east of the subject site would not be affected by the Part 8 proposal and access between this pitch and the football club based in the Firhouse Community Centre would be maintained. The existing hedgerow, watermain wayleave, and gas wayleave and pedestrian gate onto Killinniny Road, all of which are located within the vicinity of the proposed site, would not be affected by this proposal.
When the Part 8 is fully realised the Firhouse / Ballycullen community would benefit from a new playground and a car parking area off the Killinniny Road to serve the existing pitches and community buildings in the vicinity.