Plans for new Cavan Institute campus expected shortly

Minister Simon Harris says his Department will work on proposals.

The Higher Education Minister says new permanent accommodation for Cavan Institute will be included in the "next investment phase".

The college is currently based at a number of different sites, including on Cathedral Road and at the former Army Barracks on the Dublin Road. There has been a push in recent months for the college to be prioritised for new accommodation.

Cavan Institute has been on the Department's building list for eight years but no substantive plans for a new campus have ever been put forward.

The matter was raised with Higher Education Minister Simon Harris in the Dáil last night by local Fianna Fáil TDs Niamh Smyth and Brendan Smith.

He appealed for the Minister to prioritise Cavan Institute:

“Minister Harris in reply to my recent Parliamentary Questions in Dáil Éireann stated that a project for permanent accommodation for Cavan Institute will be considered as part of this next investment phase."

Deputy Niamh Smyth praised the work of the college's staff and CMETB for their work in providing high class education in the region:

''In the absence of a higher education facility in the border region, Cavan Institute responded by collaborating with a range of higher education colleges to deliver some of their courses on an outreach basis in Cavan so as to continue to meet the needs of students."

Both local TDs have welcomed the inclusion of the college in the next investment plan.

CMETB will now be required to submit a proposal to the Department, with it then considering potential locations and the project parameters.