No clarity on timeline for extension works at Wicklow secondary school

By Hugh O'Farrell Walsh, The Wicklow People

The Department of Education has confirmed it can’t provide a timeline for when an extension of Coláiste Chraobh Abhann in Kilcoole will be completed.

Announced under the ‘Project Boyne’ bundle of six large-scale school building projects back in 2024, Coláiste Chraobh Abhann’s new school build will involve a large extension of the school to increase capacity for the future enrolment of 1,000 pupils.

It is one of six large-scale projects are being delivered across schools in counties Wicklow, Carlow, Kildare and Meath by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) on a devolved basis for the Department.

These new school buildings will incorporate mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and renewable energy systems that include air source heat pump technologies for heating and solar panels as part of futureproofing the schools from a climate and sustainability perspective.

In an update provided to Social Democrats TD for Wicklow Jennifer Whitmore the department indicated the project has received full grant of planning permission and is currently at stage three of the architectural planning design process which includes looking for a tender.

When this stage is concluded, the project will progress to construction in due course.

The length of time a project takes to go through each stage varies and depends on several factors, including scale and complexity.

Despite not being able to provide a date for completion of the project, the NDFA has pledged to engage directly with the school authority regarding progressing the project.

In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan (NDP). The department is now preparing an NDP implementation plan which is due for publication later in the autumn.

This plan will focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.