School extension plans on hold till November

Parents of children attending a South Galway primary school will have to wait until to November to find out if plans to extend the school building can go ahead.
Planning permission granted by Galway County Council for the retention of an existing classroom and the addition of three further classrooms at the school has been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
In March the board of management at St Joseph’s National School, Kinvara, applied to the council to retain a single-storey classroom at the rear of the existing school building and for permission to build a new two-storey extension to contain three additional classrooms a general-purpose room, circulation areas and bathrooms.
The council decided last month to allow a classroom to be retained and a new development to take place subject to nine conditions. An appeal against the permission was made to An Bord Pleanála but subsequently declared invalid. However, The Clare Champion has learned that the appeal was relodged on July 4 with the correct paperwork.
Gabrielle Lavelle of 9, Nuns’ Orchard in the village had objected to the development when it was before Galway County Council and went on to lodge an appeal against the permission to An Bord Pleanála.
In her original objection, Ms Lavelle, through Leahy and Conway Architects Ennis, stated that a two-storey extension would interfere with her amenity because of windows “looking directly into their [Ms Lavelle and her neighbours’] back gardens” and is a “sub-optimal arrangement for a primary school”.
The objection stated that the shape of the design solution “which has been arrived at is as a result of an effort to maintain the playing pitches which have been constructed, initially without planning permission and subsequently granted through application for retention.”
Ms Lavelle, through Leahy and Conway Architects, called on the school to “make up its mind as to what its primary function is” given that the new sports pitches are being used by adult clubs and groups as well as the school children.
Michael Leahy of Leahy Conway described Ms Lavelle as “a very reluctant objector in this matter”, but added that “she feels that she has been severely disadvantaged by the numerous development decisions made by the school in the recent past. She now feels that a wholly inappropriate layout has been produced as a result of these manifestly defective decisions.”
Paul Feeney and Associates, consulting engineer for the school, subsequently responded with additional information in which he claimed “many of the arguments made by Ms Lavelle are incorrect and misleading”.
Mr Feeney defended the two-storey design pointing out that part of the existing school building is over two floors adding it would have a smaller footprint than a single-storey one, maintaining the play areas for children. He also pointed out that it would be more economical to construct and more energy efficient.
Mr Feeney stated that the building is located as far “as is reasonably possible” from Ms Lavelle’s house. He described as “absurd” the suggestion “that it [the astroturf] be unnecessarily removed so as to construct the extension.”
Galway County Council sought further information to show the proposed development at the school and its relationship to, and potential impact on, a nearby convent building that is a protected structure.
This was complied with to the local authority’s satisfaction and it granted permission to the development subject to nine conditions.
Among the conditions were ones aimed at avoiding light pollution at night and ensuring that reasonable facilities are provided for the convenience of disabled persons.
The council stated “no arclights or bright directional lighting shall be permitted on the building except in emergency circumstances. Any lighting on the front elevation of the buildings hall be low-intensity uplighting or discreet spot lighting only. No internally illuminated signage shall be permitted and all other lighting throughout the site shall be at a low level.”
It also ordered that “adequate provision shall be made to facilitate access to and the use of the proposed development by disabled persons”.
Ms Lavelle has appealed the local authority’s decision to An Bord Pleanála, stating that the school is being built and developed “in a way which has been adversely influenced by previous decisions to grant retention permission”.
The appeal asserted that the school being built at two-storeys in height was “not in accordance with good planning policy” and that Ms Lavelle’s property “is likely to suffer from significant loss of amenity by virtue of construction of a two-storey building directly overlooking” her rear garden.
Mr Leahy appealed to An Bord Pleanála if it planned to uphold the permission to attach further conditions recognising that St Joseph’s is a school and stating that a playing facility “should not be allowed to operate outside normal hours of day light and no later than 6pm in the summer”.
He also urged for the curtailment of users of the playing facilities at St Josephs saying they “should only be used by pupils of the school and with those directly teaching or instructing them”.
Mr Leahy also requested that “an adequate visual and acoustic screen be erected between the Nuns’ Orchard housing estate and the facility.”
The board will make a decision on the appeal in November.