*St John Bosco Community College.
ST JOHN BOSCO COMMUNITY COLLEGE in Kildysart is to undergo a major extension.
Planning permission has been granted for a two-storey extension which marks a significant development for the 300 student school in Kildysart.
St. John Bosco’s have been granted a school building extension (1,203m²) over two levels, incorporating general and specialist classrooms, social spaces, two classroom special education needs unit, reception, offices and ancillary accommodation.
Also included in the plans approved by Clare County Council are 22 new car parking spaces of which two will be wheelchair accessible. The development has been endorsed by councillors Gabriel Keating (FG) and Michael Shannon (FF). Work can now begin as long as it adheres to the conditions set out by the applicant’s plans.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Principal Denis O’Rourke expressed his relief over the planning department’s decision to grant permission. “We have a dual ASD unit which is a unit for autism but at the moment they’re actually being facilitated in one corner of a library and another in a converted court balcony, so the resources and rooms are badly wanted. There’s great excitement now that we can move on to the next stage”.
O’Rourke has been principal at the school since 2017 and is delighted to see a development of this scale take place during his tenure.
It is unclear at this stage when work will begin at the school. “That’s the million dollar question”, the principal said. “I’d like to be able to tell you in 18 months’ time we would be turning the sod but it’s hard to know. The project itself is being handled by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. They engaged directly with the department at the different phases”.
Mr O’Rourke also spoke of the ecological issues that held up the development in the decision seeking process. The school is located close to the Shannon Estuary. A Natura Impact Statement had to be included with the application which found the development would have little impact on the Special Area of Conservation. “The ball is back in our court now. We had huge issues to get over the line to do with ecology reports and so on. The Shannon Estuary was our main barrier in terms of environmental issues and that held it up somewhat”.
“The project was actually designed first and it didn’t include renewable energy. There was a decision made or a motion passed at Dáil level that all public buildings must include renewable energy so it actually went back to the drawing board then”. The principal says the development will now include renewable energy facilities as well as solar panels.
