The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Go ahead for major ITT expansion
COUNCIL PERMISSION FOR NEW €27 MILLION STEM BUILDING AT ITT
THE Institute of Technology in Tralee has received a huge boost with the news that Kerry County Council have given the green light to the college’s plans to build a new multi million Euro STEM building at its North Campus.
On March 20 –just a week after the Government shut down all schools and colleges to part of the State’s Coronavirus measures – the council planning office announced its approval for the college’s latest major investment.
The two and three storey 9,000 square metre Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) building in will include machinery workshops and halls, and an engineering and agri-tech yard to the rear.
Once completed the entirety of IT Tralee’s STEM department will move from ITT’s South Campus in Clash to the North Campus. The STEM building will cater for approximately 1,000 students.
Up to 400 construction jobs are expected to generated by the construction of the new ITT STEM building.
Plans for the €27.85 million STEM building were included in IT Tralee’s Strategic Plan for the five years to 2021 which was launched in 2017.
The IT Tralee project is one of the main beneficiaries of a large scale third level investment package that was announced by the Government three years ago.
That investment programme will see the Department of Education invest €200million into large construction projects at 11 ITs including Tralee.
All 11 developments will be built using the Public Private Partnership model. The State will pay €200m towards the buildings, which will be operated and maintained by private developers for 25 years after their construction.
The development of the purpose built STEM department building will mark a major step forward in IT Tralee’s long term plan to shutter its South Campus facilities and consolidate all of its operations at its North Campus in Dromtacker on the outskirts of Tralee.
The college’s 2017 to 2021 five year plan – the college’s sixth strategic plan since it opened in 1977 – includes several other significant developments at the North Campus.
Among them are a €10.9 million Student Facilities Hub; a €14 million
Student Residential Complex; a €9 million Research Building and a further €3 million extension to the college’s existing Business Incubation Centre.
Meanwhile a Government decision on ITT’s plan to merge with Cork Institute of Technology to form the Munster Technological University is due in the next two months.