2026-05-14

I wish to raise the issue of the Carrigtwohill Community College and the school campus in Carrigtwohill. To give the Dáil a bit of insight in respect of this, this was the largest single school project ever undertaken by the State. It involved the construction of three schools on the one campus, a large secondary school in addition to two primary schools that went in together. There are approximately 1,500 students there at this moment in the town of Carrigtwohill, which was at one point the fastest growing urban area in the country. It also has plans potentially to host up to 2,000 pupils on the school campus itself. We fought very hard in the last Dáil term, alongside the then Minister for education, Deputy Norma Foley. After a very difficult two-year battle, we finally secured funding to advance the project, which was a long-running, difficult challenge. There is excellent school management and a fantastic principal in situ. I am very lucky to have a good working relationship and to be able to assist as the local TD for the area. However, there is a problem. With that number of students in place, they do not have a proper playing area. I have asked about this for some time in parliamentary questions going back to November, trying to identify possible solutions so that the schools would have a suitable facility or play area for the students. To be fair, some analysis has been done. There are two sites adjacent to the school. Unfortunately one of them is an attenuation area to prevent flooding. Carrigtwohill is quite low lying and surface flooding is an issue there. With Storm Babet and so on, we have had serious flooding in the east Cork area in recent years. We need to see a workable solution being put forward. Through my parliamentary question to the Minister and the Department of education back in November, we identified a site of 1.09 acres sitting idle to the north of the site that is owned by the Department of education. There is an opportunity to solve the problem for these schools, the community in Carrigtwohill and the students from all over east Cork who attend the schools in the area and to put a solution in place. To their credit, the schools have been working very hard to get AstroTurf facilities. We have been able to assist in many cases in the constituency when it has come to getting grant aid. I really want to be in a position to provide assistance. The question I want to put to the Department through the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, who is representing the Minister for education today, is: can we finally get an answer? Will the Department devolve this land to Cork ETB to enable it to provide what is needed for the community and the school? I am really proud of the work they are doing in Carrigtwohill. In a relatively small number of years they have established a fantastic school. The students, pupils teachers and staff of the school all deserve this. It is required. We need to provide the facilities children need in order to go outside, get fresh air and exercise. We must try to provide them with the very best opportunity they can have in life to grow and develop.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Naughton, regarding the provision of sports facilities at the Carrigtwohill school campus in east Cork. Indeed, it is not the first time Deputy O'Connor has raised this matter in the Dáil. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, is aware of this issue and she recently met with Scoil Mhuire Naofa and local representatives on the matter. I am sure the Deputy is aware of that. As the Deputy said, the Carrigtwohill school campus project is the largest single school building project ever undertaken by the Department, to serve some 2,400 pupils. The project was completed in Q4 of 2023 under the Department’s design and build programme. It includes two 24-classroom primary schools for Carrigtwohill Community National School and Scoil Mhuire Naofa and accommodation, including 14 classrooms across the three projects, for children with special education needs. The project also delivered three general purpose areas, a PE hall in the post-primary school and 13 ball courts in total. The schools on the campus have sought to use a green area, which forms part of the site, for recreation purposes. As someone with a sporting background, I can see how important the provision of green playing areas is for school activities and to ensure children get the best experience at the earliest stage possible. Being a keen sporting supporter, the Deputy will really work with the local public representatives but also with the Department in trying to formulate a solution to the problem. As the Deputy outlined, the area in question is not suitable for use as a formal playing pitch, as it is required as an attenuation basin for flood management. However, the Department is pleased to support the schools' access to the green area as an informal recreation space. Planning permission was granted by Cork County Council for an entrance and access way to this green area, as a stand-alone planning application. The scope of works and associated costs to provide the entrance and access way has recently been reviewed by the Department. The Department's programme manager has been requested to carry out a further due diligence review to establish a more cost-effective option to deliver the access way to the green area south of the campus buildings. Once received, Department officials will further review the proposed scope of work and costs, along with the programme timeline for completion of the access and entrance way to the southern green area. Department officials will update the schools and patron bodies upon completion of that review. In addition, the Department has agreed that the area of 1.9 acres to the north of the campus in the Department's ownership, to which the Deputy referred, can be used as a recreation area by the schools on a licence basis. Officials from the Department are in contact with the relevant stakeholders to progress this. Should the land be required to support school place expansion in the future, its use as a recreation area will cease. The Department of Education and Youth has had positive and productive engagement with the three schools and their patrons throughout all stages of this project and will continue to support the schools on the new school campus.

I thank the Minister for the response. I want to highlight the Department has agreed the area of circa 1.9 acres to the north of the campus in the Department's ownership can be used as a recreation area by the school on a licence basis. Following on from those comments, I would like to get an insight into how long that is going to take. I welcome it; I really do. I wish we did not have to wait so long to get a reply in respect of that query. I am glad to hear it is progressing. I appreciate that processes sometimes take significant time but the ultimate goal here is to provide the 1,500 pupils in the school complex with the green area they need. This also recognises the fact that Carrigtwohill remains one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Cork County Council is expecting 40% of the county's population growth to happen on the Carrigtwohill to Midleton corridor in the next decade. We heard that recently at the briefing by the chief executive of the county council. I welcome this response. All I would ask is that we would get insight into this as a matter of urgency. The schools are adamant that they would like to try to get an AstroTurf or all-weather facility onsite. There is obviously the need to ensure the Department of sport is happy to provide the grant aid required for these types of projects. We know complications arise when it comes to the conditions of ownership. The Department should not create any difficulty there if they come to a satisfactory arrangement with Cork ETB to allow this to proceed. Again, I want to express my gratitude. It is nice to see there is a way to resolve this.

I thank the Deputy. It is positive to give some good news when we are taking Topical Issues. This is important for the 2,400 pupils attending the school without access to green space. It is positive that they have identified and agreed the availability of the green areas both the 1.9 acres to the north and the attenuation area to the south that will become now an informal recreation area. To the Deputy's point, it is important that the lease agreements are agreed, that the licences are put in place and he can work with the schools patronage and management on any sports capital projects that might accelerate the development of these playing pitches and, indeed, future-proof the campus at Carrigtwohill for the students and the staff and ensure further enhancement of the external playing space available on the campus. It is really important that nothing is delayed. The steps agreed to date need to be worked through in the period ahead, and things put in place in the summer period leading into the next academic year, because without certainty people build up frustration and anxiety. Deputy O'Connor has worked very collaboratively with the patron, the Department of education and school management. The overall community will benefit from this. It is an investment in the community and not only in the campus itself. Having additional playing pitches and space for an area that has seen a rapid increase in population is very beneficial. I thank Deputy O'Connor for his work on this.