Related Stories

• Mitchelstown FF slams budget outcome
  
  
• The New Trioka
  
  
• Local drive for support for Cork Penny Dinners underway
  
  
• No to Pylons in West Waterford
  
  
• Great support for Kildorrery night at the dogs
  
  
• Christmas spirit in St Colman’s
  
  
• Masquerade madness for Presentation Mitchelstown girls
  
  
• Conna Nursing Home celebrates a decade of outstanding care
  
  
• Celebrating 40 years in the EU in Kilbehenny
  
  
• Ballyhooly Fine Gael branch meeting
  
  
• November 1992 – some Avondhu headline news
  
  
• Disabled community rep interested in place on traffic management committee
  
  

If granted, the 3-story extension to the school will almost double their space.

A planning application has now been lodged for the new €5.5M extension to Coláiste an Chraoibhín in Fermoy. If granted by Fermoy Town Council the three-story extension to the school will almost double the space there.

The new 3,800 sq. metre building will replace seven prefab-type classrooms. It'll have a gymnasium and hall on the ground floor with changing rooms, a fitness suite, two science labs and a music and drama room.

The second floor will have classrooms for art, construction studies and home economics as well as a large assembly area, a special needs unit with multi-sensory unit, a pastoral care room and offices. General classrooms, a computer room and language labs along with a staff room will be located on the third floor.

With extensive pre-planning done, including liaising with the local engineer and other preparatory works, school principal Christy Healy is hopeful the application will go through smoothly.

"We did a lot of preparing, we worked with the town rather than the other way around. We worked with the engineer and with Punch Engineers for over a year and took traffic considerations into account," he explained.

The Department (of Education) gets criticised, he said, but here they are being proactive and looking ahead, taking into consideration the increase in primary school pupils locally and planning to meet demand. "So hopefully it'll go through."

As for a timeframe after that, the principal explained that the project can only go to tender after planning permission is granted as any conditions that may be attached can add to the cost. "We'd be doing well to have that done by this time next year." After that, he said, it'll take between 14 and 18 months to build, taking them up to 2016 at the earliest.

Local councillor Noel McCarthy and Tadhg O'Donovan, a member of the VEC, said the promotion of vocational education in Fermoy had reached another milestone with the submission of Colaiste's planning application. Both acknowledged the advance work done by Principal Christy Healy whom they said had developed "a very community focused, open and transparent policy as part of the very extensive pre-planning process."

As a result of what's been achieved to date, they said, the planning application will take the minimum period required to be processed.

"With planning permission secured another substantial step will be taken on the road to ensuring the much sought after extension will materialise," the two upbeat councillors said in a joint statement.

blog comments powered by Disqus