Planning permission granted for major sports expansion at Tipperary school
Planning permission has been granted for a major expansion of sporting facilities at Coláiste Dún Iascaigh in Cahir.
Representatives for the school applied to Tipperary County Council for planning permission to add an all-weather pitch, a 400-metre running track with a six-lane 100-metre sprint track, as well a track and field facility including long jump, high jump and shot put, a boules area and miniature golf course.
The plans also include a perimeter walkway/running track with low level lighting around the existing amenities, flood-lighting to the main all-weather pitch and track and field sports, two new padel courts with flood lighting and associated fencing, ball stop netting and dugouts.
An agent acting on behalf of the school said the facilities are intended to benefit the wider community, and would tie into the school’s planned expansion.
"To provide for community use, the development also proposes a perimeter walking and running path,” an agent acting on behalf of the school said.
"Lighting of the path will be low key bollard lighting to offer a well landscaped and pleasant environment where locals can walk or run at any time of the year,” they added.
A planner with Tipperary County Council said, however, that it is not entirely clear who will use the new facilities.
"It is not clear how the facility is to be managed; is it for the use of the school only?” the planner asked.
The planner added that the drawings that were submitted as part of the plans were “disengenuous” when it came to the impact on nearby residents from the lights from the sports facilities.
"It should be noted that the illustrative graphics used in the planning report are disingenuous as they do not accurately depict all the larger lighting standards proposed,” they said.
After the school submited further information to address these concerns, the planner recommended that planning permission for the development be granted subject to five conditions.
Among the conditions are that the facility and the flood lighting only be used between the hours of 9am and 9.30pm from Monday to Friday, and 9am to 9pm on weekends and bank holidays.
The council also stipulated that the lighting be installed by a qualified lighting specialist, and that surface water run-off does not discharge onto public roads or streets.
Earlier this year, the school lodged a planning application for a major expansion of the school’s teaching facilities.
The school applied for permission to add four new extensions to the school.
The four planned additions will add a total of 2,500 square metres to the school, and will include a variety of uses.
The first extension will be a part single-storey and part two-storey extension to the west of the existing school building, and will add four special needs education (SEN) classrooms, six general classrooms, four specialist rooms, and three special education teachers’ rooms.
Extensions two and three will be technology preparation rooms, and will add space to the school’s existing technology offering, while extension number four will be used as storage space.
A decision on this separate expansion is still awaited, potentially marking a further phase of development at the school.