Cllr Nick Killian, Martin O'Brien, chair of LMETB and Enfield CC principal Shane Foley.

Fears new Enfield school won’t be ready by 2023

Noelle Finegan

Published: Thu 3 Feb 2022, 1:39 PM

Last updated: Thu 3 Feb 2022, 3:35 PM

With the temporary accommodation that is currently home to Enfield Community College set to be at capacity in September of this year, the school is hoping that their building project will be included in the Department of Education's next bundle of projects to go out to tender.

Planning permission is in place and the school building is due to be delivered for September 2023 but there is some concern locally that unless the project goes to tender soon, the target date will not be met.

Local councillor Noel French said: “There has been no real progress on this project since the middle of last year. Parents are getting worried that the permanent school will not be ready for 2023 and existing pupils and new pupils will have to continue to be accommodated in pre-fabs."

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: "The Department is actively working on the delivery of the permanent accommodation for Enfield Community College. The Department is considering the timeline for the progression of the project for Enfield Community College to tender. In the interim, the Department will continue to liaise with the school’s patron body in relation to the school’s interim accommodation needs pending delivery of the permanent accommodation."

Enfield Community College opened in September 2020 in temporary accommodation in the former ESB office in Enfield. Temporary pre-fabricated school buildings were provided as an interim measure for three years until the permanent building comes on stream.

Enrolment for next September is set to be around 120 which will bring the school to capacity and projections are that around 150 children will be seeking places for the following year.

Principal Shane Foley said it is hoped that the new school budling will be delivered on schedule for September 2023 as there will be in the region of 150 students that year.

"We hope that given the numbers enroling and the confidence the community has shown in the new school, that the building will be delivered as soon as possible.”

He added that he had every confidence in the work being done by LMETB CEO Martin O'Brien and his team that the school will be delivered on target and that it is being prioritised at the highest level to be included in the next round of tenders.