Press Release re Tyrrelstown School

Speaking at the debate on the Tyrrellstown School situation, Labour’s Cllr Michael O’Donovan said

“We need greater imagination in order to fast track the building of the two Tyrrellstown Primary Schools.

Let’s look at the Planning process to begin with. There is a notion that the Department of Education must be the owner of the site before a planning application can be lodged. To my knowledge, this is not a hard and fast rule. The Department can lodge an application literally next Monday morning as soon as contracts are exchanged. It may take time before the transfer is completed and the Department takes full ownership of the site, but the planning process can start right away.

There is a second opportunity to speed up the delivery of schools. The main developer in the area has full permission for two sixteen classroom schools and a shared community sports hall. The design is to Department of Education specifications. Building could start straight away on this model, and a planning application could be lodged straight away for two eight-classroom extensions.

A lot is possible, but we need a level of urgency that has not been apparent up to now”.