New Limerick school gets green light from planners

LIMERICK City and County Council has cleared the way for a multi-million euro new school building for Gaelcholaiste Luimni.

Conditional planning permission has been given for the school to relocate along Clare Street at a former dairy factory.

The school will leave its home for the first 14 years of its life at Sir Harry’s Mall.

A new 7,860 square metre post-primary school will be built, to include six teaching blocks connected by a central circulation corridor.

In this, there will be four two-storey blocks to accommodate general classrooms, specialist rooms, circulation areas, offices, plant room, a dining hall and associated kitchen and storage areas.

Another four-storey block will accommodate specialist rooms, circulation areas, staff room, and storage, while there will be a sports hall with a fitness centre.

The school will be accessible from the Pa Healy Road by car. There will be pedestrian entrances from Clare Street, O’Brien’s Park and the Pa Healy Road.

Hard play and landscaped social areas will also be erected. The expansion comes amid an explosion in demand for places at Gaelcholaiste Luimni, which opened in 2006.

Metropolitan district leader, Cllr Sarah Kiely, who sits on the board of the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board which runs the school is delighted with the grant of permission.

She said: “It’s fantastic news for the children, the staff and the school community. It’s something that’s been planned for a long time and it’s great to see it over the line. Staff have been under pressure with numbers and it’s a really sought after school. We’ve seen year on year the demand for the school is exceptional. They focus on the wellbeing of the child.”

Cllr Kiely sent her children Emily, 19 and Tiernan, 15 to the school. Tiernan is still studying there.