Virginia College appeal withdrawn

An appeal against plans for a major extension to Virginia College was withdrawn shortly before the new academic year began.

The objection centred on a proposal to knock part of the old school building, put there by the community in the 60s, to make way for progress.

The plan now is to incorporate some or all of the existing 1960s' school building into the blueprint for a new 11-classroom, three-storey addition.

A spokesperson for Cavan-Monaghan Education & Training Board confirmed to The Anglo-Celt they are now “actively engaging” with their design team and the Department of Education to “progress this significant and much needed” extension.

A decision by the national planning authority was due in early August, after the original permission granted by Cavan County Council in April was challenged.

Enrolment at Virginia College currently stands at over 800 students, and the extension will provide capacity for up to 1,000 pupils and 85 staff once completed.

Without objection work was expected to start before the end of the summer. A contractor has already been appointed to install temporary accommodation, to include one general classroom and enabling works for Special Education Needs provision.

While the ETB remain eager to proceed, there is as yet no timeline for when a new proposed design will be finalised.

An Bord Pleanala recently updated the status of the appeal as 'declared withdrawn'.

According to Cavan County Council the appeal was formally dropped on August 14.

CMETB also received confirmation of this decision, which was shared with Board members by Director of Organisation Support and Development (OSD) Karen McBride.

Exception to the initial plan centred on the demolition of the 1960s' building to accommodate two new ball courts, 24 bicycle stands and other associated site works.

Many of the submissions to council planners expressed strong wishes that the original college be retained and incorporated into overall new design.

They highlighted how, in what was an unprecedented move for the time, local farmers allowed the deeds of their farms and homes be held as guarantees for a £20,000 loan to deliver the school for the community.

When built the school was later handed over to the Department of Education and Cavan VEC “so that future generations of their community could receive post-primary education”.

Since its foundation in 1962, the Virginia school has been extended three times. The first was a General Purpose (GP) Hall extension in 1988; the second in 2006; and a third time in 2012.

The larger proposed three-storey extension to the east will run to over 4,500 square metres and connect to the existing 2006 school extension. It will incorporate the Special Educational Needs base on the ground floor with 11 new classrooms and specialist classrooms on the first and second floors.

A second smaller extension to the south (82 sq m) extends from the 1988 extension and will contain the General Purpose hall and ancillary spaces.