Tipperary school granted permission for new extension with three new SEN classrooms
A Tipperary primary school is set to get an extension including three new special educational needs classrooms as pupil numbers are expected to increase this September.
The Board of Management of Ardfinnan National School applied to Tipperary County Council for permission to add a single-storey extension building to the school.
The project will also see the removal of existing prefabricated buildings, and the demolition of the existing corridor and toilets at the rear of the building.
Under the plans, the new extension will house a new mainstream classroom, a central activity room, three special educational needs (SEN) classrooms, as well as a new hallway and toilet facilities.
The school currently has 242 students enrolled, but this is expected to grow to 251 this coming September. There are 27 staff members working there, and this is proposed to stay the same, according to planning files.
Council planners raised concerns during the planning process that the site is a potential flood zone, and noted that the site has flooded in the past.
“There are recorded instances of the site flooding, however the flood depth on the site has not exceeded the current finished floor level of the school buildings,” the planner said.
Because of this, the council required the Board of Management of the school to submit a new flood risk assessment as part of a further information submission, and said that an assessment submitted in 2017 would not work.
“The 2017 application was for a much more modest development than the current proposal. The flood risk assessment submitted under the application referenced historic events only and did not include for climate change,” the planner said.
Planners also questioned how much parking would be available for the school, and where parking spaces would be located.
An agent acting on behalf of the school’s management said that staff currently park on the village’s Main Street, and in the car park behind the church.
The council granted planning permission for the development, subject to six conditions.
Included among the conditions are that the external finishes of the extension be the same as what is indicated on the plans that have been submitted, and that the contractor on the site take care to not damage any public cables or pipes that are routed underground.
Planners also stipulated that a plan to manage Japanese Knotweed on the site be submitted to the council before works begin, in an attempt to prevent the spread of the invasive species.