Objection to work at St David’s school
PLANS to extend St David’s school in Greystones are with An Bord Pleanala as locals have objected to the development.
Wicklow County Council granted permission for the works in September, however they are being appealed. A decision is due by February of next year.
Robert Thomas and Susanna Murdoch have appealed the decision.
The plans lodged by Le Cheile Schools Trust include a new PE Hall, library, classrooms, arts rooms, tech graphics room, fitness suite, parking spaces and more, as well as refurbishment to the existing buildings.
In their initial objection to Wicklow County Council, Mr Thomas and Ms Murdoch of Kimberly Road said that the school is directly beside and behind their home.
‘We believe that the proposed four-storey development of the school on Marine Road would have significant negative impact on our lives, on our home and on the local environment.’
They said that the proposed height of the building is out of line with others on Marine Road and would be detrimental to the area.
‘ The proposed development would completely overshadow the back and side of our house, taking away the light and sunshine. It would also invade the privacy of our garden and our home.’
Their other concerns included the volume of traffic and illegal parking posing a threat to pedestrians and other road users.
‘We believe that the building of a four-storey block on this site goes against the best interests of the area and sets an unwelcome precedent,’ they said.
St David’s had not responded at the time of going to press. There are exciting times ahead for the pupils of St Peter’s Primary School in Bray.
It will be the first school in Ireland to receive funding under Salesforce.org’s Circle the School programme. Under the scheme – originally developed in the US – St Peter’s will receive a $100,000 (€92,000) grant to upgrade its digital literacy, special educational needs and STEM teaching capabilities.
‘We are privileged to have been given the opportunity to form a collaboration with Salesforce and we are confident that this will have an extremely positive impact on both student academic attainment and their overall educational experience,’ said principal Emer Whyte.
‘We look forward to developing a shared vision which will result in whole-school improvements in STEM, IT, Special Educational Needs, Literacy and Numeracy. We are very grateful to Salesforce and are fully committed to making this shared vision become a reality for our school.’
A portion of the grant will go towards the creation of a new computer room with state of the art technology and also towards the creation of a multi-sensory room. This room will allow students a place to aid creativity and support those with complex needs.
Charlotte Finn, Vice-President EMEA programmes at Salesforce.Org, said: ‘School is a place where children’s futures are shaped and we believe that all children should have the same opportunities for their future development. Circle the Schools is an important initiative that gives schools the necessary resources to make significant difference to children’s lives’.
Salesforce employees will also have an important role to play in this partnership. In addition to assisting children with STEM projects and setting up a CODER Dojo, Salesforce employees will be rolling out an ICT programme to help parents get up to speed with technology, enabling them to support their children’s development in this area.