MALLOW’S PATRICIAN ACADEMY SET TO RISE FROM THE ASHES WITH PLANS JUST LODGED FOR A NEW SCHOOL
PLANNING APPLICATION LODGED FOR MAJOR PLAN OF WORKS AT SCHOOL
THE fire damaged section of the Patrician Academy in Mallow is set to rise phoenix like from the ashes of the blaze that ripped through the landmark building more than three years ago.
The fire, which started during the early hours of July 14, 2016, ripped through the upper floors of the ‘new’ extension of the building, which was erected in the 1990s.
Thankfully, emergency services managed to get the fire under control quickly preventing it from spreading to the older section of the main school building.
However, the damage was such that it rendered the extension unusable, necessitating the temporary relocation of pupils to other premises around the town. Prefabricated classrooms were subsequently installed on site, allowing the students to move back on campus.
In April of this year, the Student Council at the school wrote a strong worded letter to Education Minister Joe McHugh expressing its frustration at the length of time it was taking to sanction the replacement of the fire damage building. It also highlighted the poor condition of the temporary classrooms.
“Not one single block has been laid, illustrating the lack-lustre response from your Department,” read the letter.
“Do you really thinks that is good enough? If your son was a student in our school, do you think these sub-standard conditions were an acceptable environment to learn in? As a student body we feel the Government, and your department in particular, has neglected our school.”
This week it emerged there was finally some light at the end of the tunnel after a planning application was lodged with Cork County Council in the name of the Minister for Education for a major plan of refurbishment works at the Patrician campus.
It makes provision for the construction of a three-story 3,307 m2 extension, to the existing protected structure to replace the fire-damaged two-storey extension.
Connected to the existing building at ground and first floor levels, it will incorporate 11 general classrooms and a two room Special Needs Unit (SNU) with ancillary teacher and pupil facilities, a new DCG room, library and social areas.
The plan also includes the demolition of the existing two-story entrance lobby, part of the two-story woodwork building, storage building and the removal of seven pre-fabricated buildings.
Other elements of the plan include replacement of the existing Fair Street entrance to the campus, the widening of the existing vehicular entrance at the southern end of the site, 29 car parking spaces and other internal works.
No changes are proposed to the existing science lab and art building.
Council planners have set an initial date of Wednesday, November 11 for a decision on the application. Once planning permission has been secured a tender competition will be held to appoint a contractor to the project.
Patrician Academy principal Elaine O’Regan said she was “very pleased” the long-awaited application had been lodged.
“The past three years have been difficult and an endurance test for all, but it has helped build resilience and unity. We are fortunate to have extraordinary people in our local school community, our support staff who do phenomenal unseen work, our parents who give selflessly, our SNA’s and our teaching colleagues who share generously their expertise and of course the boys who are at the heart of all that we do,” said Ms O’Regan.
She said teachers, parents, students and the local community have been, “understandably, quite concerned” about the delay in the planning process.
“While we are all anxious to see this development progress as quickly as possible, the planning permission process must first be concluded and I would hope that this process will run smoothly. The Department has assured me that once this process has been completed they will progress the tendering and construction without delay,” said Ms O’Regan.
Welcoming the application Mallow-based Cork East Labour TD Séan Sherlock, himself a former pupil at the school, said he hoped the process would move swiftly through to the construction stage.
“We have been working hard on this application for some time and I am now glad to see it is going though planning, which I hope will prove to be a seamless process,” said Deputy Sherlock.
“Everyone involved is looking forward to getting this project completed and I hope the Council will not come back for any further information that will delay the process and that all issues relevant to the application are addressed and dealt with within the statutory time limit,” he added.