Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal, Alan Farrell, has said that the Department of Education and Skills and Fingal County Council must find a resolution to the infrastructural issues facing the educationally-zoned site in Rush, to allow the development of the Gaelscoil and the new building for St. Joseph’s Secondary School to proceed.
“Having previously been informed that officials from the Department of Education and Skills are liaising with Fingal County Council regarding an educationally-zoned site in Rush for the Gaelscoil and the new building for St. Joseph’s Secondary School, I have now been informed that the infrastructural issues surrounding the site which are being assessed relate to the development of a distributor road.
“The fact is that the development of a distributor road for Rush may be necessary to make the educationally-zoned site viable.
“The fact remains that the situation whereby infrastructural inadequacies delay the development of new school buildings should never arise. Unfortunately, this seems to be the case in Rush.
“While I understand that the Department and the Council are actively working on this matter, I believe it is of the utmost importance that greater levels of cross-departmental thinking, and greater levels of engagement between Government Departments and local authorities takes place into the future. This must occur in order to ensure sites which may be used for vital social infrastructure, including new school buildings, have all of the necessary structural infrastructure in place so that when their development is required, it is not hindered by a failure of future planning.
“Once the Department and Fingal County Council resolve the infrastructural issues, the Department of Education and Skills will commence the site acquisition process.
“I will continue to monitor all developments regarding the educationally-zoned site in Rush relating to the provision of the Gaelscoil and the new building for St. Joseph’s Secondary School. New school buildings should not be held up by issues such as those which have been identified in Rush, and I will raise this matter directly with the Minister.
“The development of these new school buildings will be positive not only for all the students, parents and teachers in Rush, but also for the wider local community.
“Our children both require and deserve ongoing investment in our local schools. As the local Fine Gael TD, I will continue to advocate for the necessary investment in our schools in order to ensure our children receive their education in an environment which is conducive to their learning, and which allows them to gain the greatest benefit possible from their time in education.”