Edward Timmins
Question:646. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Education when construction of the new secondary school in Blessington, County Wicklow will commence. [1837/25]
View answerWednesday, 22 January 2025
Questions (646)
Written answers
The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB).
In Quarter 2 2023, the Department approved a submission from the school authority to increase the original brief in the context of a significant increase in projected new enrolments in the area. This allowed for a project to cater for a 1,000 pupil school plus 6 special education needs classes.
A planning application was submitted to Wicklow County Council in Q4 2023 and the full grant of planning permission was received in Q2 2024. The design team are progressing the detail design drawings in preparation for the stage 2b submission. When Stage 2b has been finalised, received, reviewed and approved, the next stage is tendering for a contractor and then onwards to construction in due course.
While at this early stage, it is not possible to provide a timeline for the completion of the project. KWETB will continue to engage directly with the school authorities to keep them informed of progress. The current status of all projects is listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie. and this is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.