Despite efforts, Tyrrelstown school hasn’t got access to vacant council land next door for kids to play

Despite efforts by the principal, and local councillors, to get students of Powerstown Educate Together National School access to a vacant council-owned site, the school year has started without.

The school is expanding and Principal Helena Trench said last year that when construction started on that, she wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t interfere with the kids’ playtime outside.

Her hope was that the school could use that vacant council-owned land, at least in the short-term, while the yard is off-limits, she said. But that hasn’t happened.

“They’re just back last week, and there are diggers on site,” said Solidarity Councillor John Burtchaell, on 4 September, at a meeting of the Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart/Castleknock/Ongar Area Committee meeting.

“Obviously they’ve no access to the area,” Burtchaell said.

He said the principal, teachers, and parents are “bitterly disappointed,” and “the Department [of Education] is the roadblock here”.

Fianna Fáil Councillor John-Kingley Onwumereh also said he’s “very disappointed" that “there was no synergy or understanding between the Department of Education and the council” to accommodate the school.

Labour Councillor John Walsh said he’d visited the school, and “it's just an outstanding educational community, very progressive and inclusive”. He too put the onus on the Department of Education.

Burtchaell asked that the chief executive of Fingal County Council to write to the Department of Education asking that Powerstown get temporary access to a vacant council-owned space behind the school while an extension is being built. 

Last year, when the issue came up at a council meeting in November, Kevin Halpenny, senior parks and landscape officer in the Planning and Strategic Infrastructure Department, had told councillors the council executive was working on it.

They had met with the school. “We are in discussions with them about their specific needs,” he said.

The council would normally liaise with the Department of Education on matters like this, he said. 

But as it appears to be a temporary requirement, it is within the council’s own discretion, he said. “If it’s for permanent use for a school, I think we would probably be working with the Department of Education.”

But on 4 September, in a written response to Burtchaell, Halpenny was less encouraging.

“The Council has previously engaged with the Department of Education and has been advised that the Department does not have plans for the provision of additional space for the school on these lands,” he said.

“Furthermore, the Council has plans to develop the land in question for green infrastructure and recreational purposes for the local community,” he said.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.