2011 construction date pencilled in for new ACC school

A brand new school for Athlone Community College should be ready for occupation by the start of the school year in September 2012, the newly-lodged planning file has revealed. Last Friday the Department of Education and Science submitted an application for outline planning permission for the multi-million euro school project to cater for 1,000 students, the first step in the pre-procurement section of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) process. The move was revealed exclusively in last week's Westmeath Independent. Under the plans, the existing secondary school on Retreat Road will be demolished and replaced by a modern school facility of 8,400 square metres on the southern portion of 5.03 hectare site, a choice of location designed to retain as much of the current school as possible during construction. The two/three storey building is set to boast 23 general classrooms and 39 specialised teaching rooms, a new sports hall, pastoral rooms, staff rooms and pastoral rooms. Two playing pitches, five hard play areas and a car park with 85 spaces will be also be provided. Construction on the building is pencilled in for mid-2011 and it is envisaged it will be occupied by September 2012, the planning documents highlighted, adding that the final development detail of school project will be the subject of future planning applications. The long-awaited Athlone school project is one of six in a new Public Private Partnership (PPP) process announced by Minister Batt O'Keeffe last December. Under the programme, private companies place a tender to not just design and build the school buildings, but also to run and maintain them for the first 20 or so years. The projects are procured in bundles and offered to the market on a design, build, finance and operate basis by the Department of Education. "The Department is only seeking planning permission in principle at this pre-procurement phase of the programme. It will be a matter for the successful bidder to present the detailed design in an application... thereafter," the planning file stated. A verdict is not expected from Athlone Town Council on the first step until mid-October.