School building programme to meet needs of young families: Buttimer

17th November 2015

• School building programme includes 32 Cork schools

I am delighted that 32 Cork schools have been included in the school building programme for the next five years. This is excellent news for the schools and for the thousands of young families across the county that will benefit from this.

Improved and expanded school facilities are badly needed in many areas. Places like Carrigaline, Douglas and Rochestown have seen huge population increases with many young families now living in these areas. Thankfully now, their needs and the demand for school place have been recognised with this detailed building programme.

Over the next three years there will be four major projects delivered in schools in Cork South Central. These will include a new school for the recently established Rochestown Educate Together National School, as well as building works at St Francis College Rochestown and Ballintemple National School. The programme is very clear that these projects will begin in the first three years of the plan.

Schools in Bishopstown, Carrigaline, Passage West, Ringaskiddy and Shanbally have also been included in the building programme. These schools are down for the period 2019-2021. It is important that we work to ensure that this building programme is acted upon so that these much needed developments begin construction as planned. I will continue to work to secure firm dates for each of these projects.