Cairn School Numbers Out Of Whack…?

The Coolagad Masterplans… APR22

ress release from Alice O’Donnell, issued on Wednesday, April 27th 2022…

I have been looking at the plans for the proposed Coolagad SHD which would be located opposite Redford cemetery, extending to the lower reaches of Kindlestown Hill.

If it is approved for planning permission, this development will contain almost 600 apartments and houses leading to a big increase in population locally.

A School demand report is included as part of the planning application. I have several concerns about the statistics on which the report is based. I think we may end up with families being unable to get their child into a nearby school.

The purpose of the report is to identify the demand likely to be generated by the proposed development and the capacity in the vicinity to cater for that demand.

While it is not the responsibility of the developer or of the council to provide schools there is a responsibility to facilitate the provision of schools on suitable zoned land. The developer should also be keen to ensure that any school demand report is based on the most recent and up to date statistics.

In this case the report uses the 2016 census as well as national projections to estimate the demand for school places in the coming years. We all know that growth in Greystones and Delgany has been far in excess of national averages.

The report identifies fewer than 20 spare primary school places in north Greystones, to meet demand from this development. The remaining additional primary school places are all located in Greystones CNS in Charlesland, very close to several large new developments including Glenheron, Archer’s Wood and Hawkins Wood all of which will easily fill that school in coming years.

Coolagad development; artist impression

They have identified over 800 additional secondary school places in Greystones Community College. Those places are “available” because the school only has 1st and 2nd years at present. As the years pass those pupils will progress through the school. They will be joined by pupils from the huge new developments near Charlesland and that extra capacity will be taken up by children who live on that side of Greystones.

As a member of two school boards I am very aware of the stress caused when families can’t access a school place for their child close to where they live. We need houses, and the people who live in those houses need schools. Is it too much to ask that we might plan properly for the schools, as well as the social infrastructure before we give permission for yet more houses to be built?

We need to be sure that children can attend school in their local area without having a long commute. I have written to the Department of Education and Skills and hope that they will issue a response as part of the planning process.

Anyone who is concerned can make a submission to An Bord Pleanála. Further information on this SHD is available here.