Breakthrough in Longwood secondary school site impasse

County Meath VEC has been given the go-ahead by the Department of Education to re-enter negotiations on the purchase of the site for the new secondary school in Longwood. VEC CEO Peter Kierans said every effort had been made to get the purchase of the site back on the 'conveyor' and that he had been advised yesterday morning (Tuesday) that a letter was on the way from the Department of Education to allow negotiations proceed to contract level. Mr Kierans said he had been in touch with the main vendors on behalf of the VEC and that, in the new environment, the Department of Education had asked them to look at the site again with a more 'realistic approach'. He said there had been some 'good progressive dialogue' on the site and that the vendors had shown themselves to be 'responsive' in terms of the new environment and more realistic prices, though there was still work to be done. 'We had been working hard with the Department to try to get this back on schedule and I spoke to Minister Batt O"Keefe when he was in Laytown in December and Noel Dempsey also took it up with him at ministerial level. We are really delighted with the news and would like to thank everyone who played a part. A lot of people have really gone to great lengths,' he said. Mr Kierans said that Cllr Seamus Murray had alerted the previous minister and brought her to the site and played his part as well. He also said that the staff had been very responsive and that as a result, they are bringing in a new IT initiative in September where all first year students will have laptops. Reacting to the news that the VEC has been given the go-ahead to re-enter negotiations on the site, Cllr Seamus Murray said: 'This is very positive news. I was confident and hopeful all the time that there would be a resolution. Once the site is in the ownership of the VEC, all other things will follow very quickly.' The Commission on School Accommodation Needs by the Department of Education published its report more than three years ago and recommended a 500-pupil school for St Fintina"s and that schooling in the area would be in a campus-style arrangement. Work on the new primary school is well underway on the Enfield Road. A site was identified for the new secondary school and negotiations were ongoing when the Department of Education ordered that negotiations be put on hold last September. The land on the Enfield Road has been rezoned for education purposes. At present, some of the students of St Fintina"s are accommodated in the permanent school structure but more than half are being accommodated in prefabs on a confined two-acre site in Longwood. The school does not have any playing pitches and has to move off-site for football matches. St Fintina"s is currently full with 160 students but does not have an assembly hall.