Work set to commence on €6m O’Carolan College extension
Plans for an extension to the new school at O'Carolan College, Nobber, have been approved for funding by the Department of Education with work to commence immediately on the €6m extension.
The extension was announced by then Minister for Education Helen McEntee, now in the Foreign Affairs portfolio, when she visited the school last May to see the new state-of-the-art school building soon after it opened. Even before the long awaited new school was delivered, it was apparent that it would not be big enough and planning began to provide an extension to provide five new classrooms and three specialist rooms.
Louth Meath Training and Education Board (LMETB) lodged a planning application for a new two-storey extension at the west side of the existing school building, linked by an external covered walkway last November and it was granted permission in January.
The extension will provide five general classrooms, three specialist classrooms, a pastoral office, toilets, vertical and horizontal circulation spaces, plant rooms and store rooms. The total area of the new extension will be 1,116sm.
A small crew of builders remain on the site and works on the car park area and conservation works on the original school building are nearing completion.
LMETB had requested that the additional accommodation to the new school be carried out by change order to the existing contract and this has been approved by the Department.
Communicating the good new to parents, CEO of LMETB Martin O'Brien, himself a past pupil of the school, said: "I am pleased to advise that the Department of Education and Youth have confirmed that additional funding of almost €6m is in place to complete the required extension. The works in question will be carried out by the existing contractor and will commence immediately."
Ganson is the contractor and has indicated a 12-13 month programme of construction.
Mr O'Brien said: "The confirmation of this funding is a welcome and forward-looking step for O'Carolan College and post-primary provision in the area."