Calls to fast-track new school as plans lodged

Calls for the fast-tracking of planning permission for a new school building for St Stephen's National School in Johnstown have been made by the school community and local representatives. A planning application for a 960-pupil national school at Athlumney, close to a site which has been the subject of negotiation for some years, was lodged last week by Grandbrind Ltd. The application comes amid claims that the current school conditions in the old St Martha's College are Dickensian with none of the classrooms fit for purpose. School principal and local councillor, Jenny McHugh, said she was absolutely thrilled that the planning application has been made, as were the parents at the school. She recalled that when ST Stephen's opened in 2003, there were plans to build a permanent school building on an adjacent site, which would also be a campus with a secondary school and special needs facility. "We don't seem to have moved one inch further since then, so this new application may be the solution," she added. "We are now anxious that the countyy council will look a this alternative site and give us our school. We have been waiting a long time," she said. Ms McHugh said the temporary accommodation which currently houses the school is Dickensian and inadequate. "It is a big, old building, which is freezing cold and costs a fortune to heat. There are no classrooms that are fit for purpose and not one blade of grass for the children to play on," she said. Ms McHugh said it was very expensive to heat and the money that has been pumped into the school over the past seven years would probably have paid for a new school. St Stephen's NS currently has 446 students and is expected to have an enrolment of 540 in September. Cllr Tommy Reilly has also called for the fast-tracking of planning permission and said everything possible, including a variation of the county development plan, should be done to ensure the project gets the go ahead. He pointed out that there have been ongoing negotiations for years for a nearby site, which was zoned for education use under the framework plan for the area which was drawn up several years ago. He said the site for which the recent application had been made, will be zoned educational in the local area plan which is currently being worked on. "I am calling on Navan Town Councillors, the planning derpartment of Meath County Council and the Department of Education to fast-track this planning application," he said. Cllr Reilly described the current conditions as "antiquated" and a "health and fire hazard". The planning application is for the construction of a 32-classroom primary school with capacity for 960 pupils at Athlumney. The proposal is for a two-storey structure of 5,763 sq metres containing 32 general purpose classrooms, staff offices, meeting rooms, library, resource rooms and a divisible multi-purpose hall. Vehicular access to the school grounds would be provided from a new 6m wide distributor road with footpath and a cycle path. There are also proposals for 88 car parking spaces with additional overflow car parking of 26 spaces being accommodated on a multi-use basketball court to the south of the school buildings. The planning application also includes plans for two ball courts and two hard play areas.