Verdict expected on new Moate school plans

A decision on major plans for a new purpose-built secondary school in Moate, is expected tomorrow (Tuesday).

At the end of May, principal Tom Lowry said that he hoped that work, pending planning, would begin on a new multi-million euro school for 1,000 students in the town next year.

It would see all premises barring the St Joseph's building, the oldest on-site, and the one facing the road, knocked as part of a phased construction project to provide new state-of-art accommodation for students and staff.

The school was first established in 1996 following the amalgamation of the Convent of Mercy Secondary School, the Carmelite College and Moate Vocational School.

“The proposed development, which includes the demolition of the majority of the existing school buildings, and their replacement with a new part two-storey, part three-storey extension and upgrades to the St Joseph’s building, will deliver a high-quality educational facility to support the needs of the school, its staff, and its pupils,” the planning documents lodged in May detailed.

According to the plans, the new development would also respond to the need for the “anticipated growth of the school” by providing a new upgraded educational and support facilities, a more efficient site layout and improved access for sustainable transport options and car parking arrangement. The existing school buildings were constructed in 1870, circa 1955 and circa 2002 and can no longer accommodate the number of pupils at Moate Community School, the proposal added.

“Since its development, various extensions to the school have been required to cater for the education needs of the catchment area. To make up for the shortfall of space, temporary accommodation has been required over the years, resulting in ten additional buildings being installed on an ad-hoc basis. The majority of these buildings are no longer fit-for-purpose and do not meet current development standards,” one of the plethora of reports in the planning file stated.

What's envisaged as part of the multi-million euro project includes the construction of a circa 9,600 square metres, part two-storey, part three-storey extension to the St Joseph’s building. The extension would form an L-shape to integrate with the existing building and enclose and expand the existing courtyard space at the southeast of the site.

Among the facilities to be provided the refurbished St Joseph’s building include Special Education Needs (SEN) unit on the ground floor with and general classrooms at first floor level. In the two/three storey extension there will be general and specialist classrooms, a general purpose hall, PE Hall, offices, staff room, library, social spaces, sanitary facilities and ancillary spaces.

In a letter submitted by the principal, Tom Lowry, as part of the planning documents, he stated that the Department of Education has set the long-term projected enrolment at 1,000 students and has “sanctioned building works to meet this need”.

The only submission listed on the Westmeath County Council website is from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who called for an archaeological impact assessment to be prepared to assess any impact on archaeological remains with the proposed development site, that a test excavation be carried out on-site and that written report be submitted to the planning authority and the department.

Should it progress, the proposed school project would be carried out in two phases, and this would “allow for minimal disruption of the normal operations of the school” and minimise the need for additional temporary accommodation buildings.