A NEW educational campus for Bandon has been given the green light after Cork County Council granted planning permission.

The Catholic Education And Irish Schools Trust (Ceist) scheme will see Coláiste na Toirbhirte at Cloughmacsimon extended and a new building for the relocated Gaelscoil Dhroichead na Banndan on the same site.

Ceist said that both schools are now operating ‘at or near capacity’ and are reliant on a number of temporary accommodation units.

A two- and three-storey post primary building for Coláiste na Toirbhirte will include 16 general classrooms, multi-media room, music room, two home economics rooms, two construction studies rooms, engineering room, technology room and three science laboratories. A Special Education Needs (SEN) base will see the construction of two classrooms.

A two-storey primary school for the gaelscoil will include 12 general classrooms, library and resource area, multi-purpose room, and two special education tuition room.

It will also include the construction of outdoor play areas and ballcourts including an amphitheatre overlooking one of the ball courts.

Two existing vehicular entrances to the L20232 Cloughmacsimon public road will be altered while additional car parking spaces, roadworks and canopied bicycle parking will be provided.

Among the 31 conditions attached to planning included an adequate supply of water for fire-fighting purposes.

Prior to the commencement of the development the developer must enter into an agreement with Uisce Éireann to connect into the public water supply and public sewer.

The applicant must also resurface the local road from the junction with the N71 to the school entrance when the works are completed and provided a new located controlled pedestrian crossing point on the N71 to the approval of TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland).

Another condition is that a minimum of 74 sheltered bike space must be provided for Coláiste na Toirbhirte while a minimum of 25 sheltered bike spaces must be provided for the primary schools.

Coláiste na Toirbhirte became co-educational in 2022 in response to local demographic changes and has a current enrolment of 430 pupils, with a projected long-term increase to 600 pupils. Gaelscoil Dhroichead na Banndan is currently renting accommodation in a repurposed swimming pool facility also in Cloughmacsimon.