Macroom man withdraws appeal as private school in Cork City gets go-ahead for major extension
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One of Cork’s best-known private schools has got the green light for a major new post-primary school building after an objection by a local property owner was withdrawn.
Christian Brothers College (CBC) can now proceed with the development of the new building within the college’s grounds at Sidney Hill in Cork.
It follows the withdrawal by Con Murphy — a businessman from Macroom, Co Cork who owns three houses adjacent to the school’s main entrance — of an appeal he had lodged with An Bord Pleanála against the decision of Cork City Council to grant planning permission for the new building.
Prior to the withdrawal of his appeal, Mr Murphy had stated that he was appealing the local authority’s ruling “with some reluctance”. He had previously lodged a separate appeal with An Bord Pleanála against a larger version of the proposed new school building in 2020.
The latest version of the plans by the college’s board of management are for a new part two-storey and part three-storey school building as well as an external all-weather playing pitch, which is currently the location for an astroturf pitch and due for demolition.
The facilities will include nine classrooms, specialist teaching rooms, offices and a double-height, multi-purpose room as well as a kitchenette and social space and lockers for students.
CBC Cork said the new school building is designed to accommodate 150 pupils of the current school population of 920.
The board of management said there would be no increase in enrolment levels as a result of the new building which will provide state-of-the-art teaching facilities and a multi-purpose room with seating for up to 200 to cater for school assemblies and performances.
“It will enhance facilities for the current student body and will also address a shortfall in the number of classrooms on the school campus, enabling the school to meet identified targets such as reducing class sizes and increasing subject offerings,” it added.
According to the board of management, the proposed extension of its facilities will also provide “high-quality infrastructure that befits the college’s status as one of the primary educational institutions in the city”.
The development replaces a larger school building for which planning permission was granted by An Bord Pleanála in July 2020. However, the board of management ultimately decided that the plans for the larger, five-storey building, which was estimated would cost €12.5m, were “not commercially viable.”
The new scaled-down model for the school building is 33% smaller than the previous design but is sited on a new location higher up the hill within the campus.
The board of management claimed the new building would not result in any increase in traffic flows as there are no plans to increase student numbers, while there will be a reduction in the number of parking spaces.