The senator said the school is a ‘hub’ for families in mid-Cork
Senator Eileen Lynch speaking at Seanad Éireann(Image: Oireachtas TV)
A 70-year-old school in an expanding Cork area needs to be rebuilt to accommodate the growing population – Senator Eileen Lynch is calling for a clear timeline for the new multi-story secondary school in Coachford.
Senator Lynch, who attended the school herself, said that over 850 students attend the school – a figure expected to rise significantly in the coming years. She highlighted the need for an upgraded school in the Seanad today.
She said the current Coachford College building is no longer “fit for the growing population.” Senator Lynch, a former student, said that the current prefabs have been in use for over two decades. She said: “The same prefabs that were in use when I started school there over 20 years ago are still in use.”
Funding was granted in 2020, and plans were approved in 2023 for new state-of-the-art school buildings to accommodate at least 1,000 pupils. There will be 37 general classrooms, specialist rooms, science laboratories, engineering and construction rooms, multi-media laboratories, as well as a Special Education Needs Suite, and a PE hall.
Despite approval of the plans two years ago, Senator Lynch said there has been “no progress in terms of delivery”. She said: “There were students in 2020, heralding the announcement of the funding, who are now going into Leaving Cert, they’ll never see the benefit of that school.”
The Fine Gael Senator said the school is a “hub” that serves the majority of the large village of Coachford and its surrounding areas. She expressed how “incredibly disappointing” the pace of the project’s progress is, calling the speed “glacial.” She asked for clarity on a timeline for when construction would begin, saying, “The students’ future depends on it.”
The development will consist of the construction of a new split-level, part single-storey, part two-storey, and part three-storey post-primary school for 1,000 pupils, comprising a four-classroom Special Education Unit, a single-storey multi-purpose hall, general-purpose rooms, general classrooms, specialist classrooms, social areas, a library, and administration areas.
Emer Higgins, Minister of State for the Department of Public Expenditure, said that the “next stage” of the project will be for it to go to tender. Deputy Higgins, who was asked to address the matter on behalf of the Minister of Education, said: “The project for Coachford Community College is currently at stage 2b. That is the post-planning process.”
She added: “At this point, the architectural process will allow for the detailed design and planning to obtain the necessary statutory permissions for the preparation of the tender documents. The next stage will be the tender.”
Deputy Higgins added: “I fully appreciate her frustration with this. It is 2020 since funding was approved. That is a long time. It is very difficult for parents, students and staff to be caught in this loop where they are still waiting for the next phase.
“All I can say is I will absolutely raise it with the Minister and ask when the design will be finalised and when it will go to tender. Once it goes to tender, the Senator will have a much clearer indication of what that timeline looks like and will, at that point, be in a better position to be able to keep students, staff and parents informed.”