BANGOR Central’s new school won planning permission this week, just days after its crushing funding blow.
The integrated primary’s new build project sailed through a council Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday night, with school authorities remaining upbeat about its chances of finding construction money from a new source while the permission is still in place.
Said principal Peter Campbell: “The funding of the building has been given a temporary setback by the Secretary of State’s decision to remove earmarked capital funding.
“However, we’re very optimistic that funding will be provided in the near future.
“Gaining planning permission will be an important milestone as we continue to focus on delivering this much-needed integrated primary school for our staff, parents and, most importantly, our young pupils.”
Central has been pushing for a new building since 2007 and had believed that this week’s hearing was effectively the final hurdle; after that, authorities thought, all they had to do was hire a contractor and their dream home would be under way.
That was scuppered by last week’s funding blow, taking money that was supposed to pay for the project and reassigning it to Stormont’s general budget.
But Mr Campbell told Ards and North Down councillors on Tuesday night that the 500-pupil primary still hopes to get its new build – needs to, in fact, as its current 1950s home is increasingly out of date and reliant on temporary classrooms.
“Over the years [the school] has grown to the extent that five classes are now taught in temporary accommodation, and our dining hall is also a temporary building,” he said.
“The upkeep of an older building and maintaining temporary classrooms that have been there for over 20 years is like painting the Forth Bridge.
“Our current building is below standard for a school this size and our site is undersized. The children of Bangor deserve to be taught together in a building which enables all abilities and all backgrounds to learn together.”
If it goes ahead, the project will see Central move from its current home in the heart of the city to a new location on the edge of Bloomfield housing estate, bordered by Bangor Grammar’s playing fields, Bangor Rugby Club’s pitches and Balloo Road.
On Tuesday night that led councillors to quiz the school about traffic in the area, pointing out that several roads around the site are already very busy.
Planning consultant Sarah McDowell told the meeting that there will be a new pedestrian crossing on Balloo Road, as well as additional pedestrian and cycling entrances located away from the main vehicle entrance.
She added: “There will be several access points into the building; there won’t be one point of contact where all pupils will be entering into the school, they will be able to get into their own playgrounds and classrooms from the rear of the site.”
The committee unanimously agreed to grant the new school planning permission, with councillors Alistair Cathcart and Alex Harbinson both expressing a hope that the funding issues are sorted out quickly.
