New Holy Family School a step closer with Planning Permission

After 10 years, eight Education ministers and countless broken promises, The Holy Family school in Cootehill are finally one step closer to securing their new school.
The Anglo-Celt has learned that the Holy Family School has been granted planning permission, with conditions, to construct a new two storey special needs national school. The building will have 21 classrooms, associated car parking space and a bus drop-off area. The plans also include provision for a sports pitch along with play areas and a sensory garden.
In the interm, permission has been granted to erect a single storey temporary mobile prefab (485sqm) which will house the autism unit. This will contain five classrooms, a kitchen and bathroom facilities. This mobile unit will only be on site between phases one and four in the building process in order to support the redevelopment of the new school building.
Disability Access Certificate have been granted for both buildings.
At present children with special needs from counties Cavan and Monaghan are being educated in classroom spaces that include an adapted storage room, the end of a corridor and part of a home economics room. Parents of the school’s 135 students have been demanding that a new €8-€11m school be built without delay, as has been promised since the turn of the century, in order to allow their children reach their full potential.

Delighted
Catherine Farrell, principal of The Holy Family School confirmed the good news to the Celt “We have been granted planning permission with conditions, we are delighted. It is the next step and I’m sure that we will be able to meet whatever conditions are required. All being well the next step would be that it would go out for tender after Christmas provided that the Department of Education have the finances. I don’t know when we will hear about that but we’ll be keeping the pressure on them.”
A Department spokesperson said “The project is currently in the architectural planning stage but not included in the Five Year Programme or Stimulus Package. It will continue to be progressed to final planning stages in anticipation of the possibility of further funds being available to the Department in future years. The Major Building Project at Holy Family Special Needs School, Cootehill, Co.Cavan, remains available to be considered for progression in that context. However, this is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the relevant stages of architectural planning.”