Cllrs keep the pressure on for secondary school in Duleek

A secondary school for Duleek would bring "massive economic benefits" to the village, a recent Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District meeting heard.

Cathaoirleach of Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District and Fianna Fail Cllr Stephen McKee tabled a motion for Meath County Council to call on the Department of Education to make provision for a secondary school in Duleek given the significant local population and potential feeder schools.

He also pointed out the fact that the National Schools in Duleek cater for more than 700 students.

"With the recent opening of our new boys and girls schools in Duleek, there is a real desire in the area for a new secondary school," said Cllr McKee. " There is a strong case based on numbers," he added.

"There are over 5000 residents in the wider area in the parish of Duleek and Bettystown alone with a number of potential feeder schools including Duleek, Bellewstown, Donore, Mt Hanover, Knockcommon, Julianstown and Cushinstown.

"There is parish land available close to the centre of Duleek on which to build. The case was made in the last few years for a secondary school in Duleek but unfortunately to no avail.

"The rationale behind the motion is to highlight this issue and keep lobbying both the department and the minister and what is badly needed for the area

"The school would be beneficial not just for the children and families but also for the social and economic life of the area."

Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade supported the motion.

"I think it is a very good motion and something we all need to push," stated Cllr Meade.

"If you look at smaller areas like Longwood or Nobber, both villages have thrived with students having their lunches and staying in the area," he added.

"It should also be supported by people who don't have kids in school because it would benefit the area.

"We have 700 kids leaving Duleek everyday going into Drogheda or Navan and the pressure that puts on those roads, you would effectively take that away and in this world we live in now where we are trying to be more environmental, those kids could walk to school.

Independent Cllr Geraldine Keogan echoed her colleague's support for the motion.

"We will keep pushing for a secondary school," she said.

Labour Cllr Elaine McGinty was also in favour of putting pressure on those in power to deliver a second level school for Duleek but pointed out that the process of getting planning permission for another school in East Meath has been a challenging one.

Earlier this year The Department of Education lodge a planning application to build a new pupil post-primary school on the Drogheda Educate Together Campus at Mill Road, Colpe West.

The school community had expressed its frustration and anger that three years after the Department of Education pledged to build the permanent school facility on the east Meath site, there had been no progress in the provision of a permanent building until recently.

The school is currently accommodated in temporary buildings on the site.

"I really support this, there is a lot of school children in this area that are travelling to Navan and Drogheda,"said McGinty.

"The school numbers are there, the population is there, it would take an awful lot of traffic off the road and it would give a greater sense of community to the Duleek area," she added.

"The Drogheda Educate Together Secondary School has a planning application lodged in Meath County Council, it's in a long time, it is really problematic getting schools built in East Meath and we are not seeing them being delivered. There are constant delays with planning permission and I wouldn't want Duleek to go through this as well.