Rezoning of Green Belt Land
Malahide Portmarnock Educate Together National School have been looking for a suitable site for its new school for 10 years. Despite this, and the increasing population and housing developments in the area, there is no site identified on the Draft Fingal County Development Plan 2023-2029 for a new school.
This directly contravenes Objectives CSO28, CIOSO15, CIOSO16, CIOSO17 and Policies CIOSP3, CIOSP7 in the Fingal County Development Plan 2023-2029.
The word "schools" appears in the Fingal Development Plan 148 times, hence showing the importance of education in the Fingal region.
In addition to this, as part of the Development Plan, it states;
- That schools’ provision should be an integral part of the evolution of compact sustainable urban development and the development of sustainable communities.
- The provision of any new schools (both primary and post-primary) should be driven by and emerge from an integrated approach between the planning functions of Planning Authorities and the Department of Education and Science; and
- Local Authorities, as Planning Authorities, will support and assist the Department in ensuring the timely provision of school sites
Fingal County Council have also stated that;
- “While the provision of new schools is the responsibility of the Department of Education, Fingal County Council has and will continue to work collaboratively with the Department and with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in relation to the identification of suitable sites for the delivery of new and expanded educational facilities in Fingal.”
Section 14.9.1 states that development of over 100 residential units shall demonstrate the need for additional infrastructure, including schools. Despite the continued development in the area, especially off the Back Road, no school site has been identified.
We request the rezoning of the site in Broomfield, Malahide on which the Department of Education submitted a planning application for a new 16 classroom school, from a Green Belt to a Community Infrastructural site.