PLANS for the development of a brand new €15m school campus for Errigal College in Letterkenny have been thrown into doubt with news that the Department of Education is considering a new proposal which would involve extending the current school building.
It had been hoped that the new school building would address a growing demand for classroom space at Errigal College where the school population has been growing at a rapid rate.
Back in 2023, a planning application was lodged with Donegal County Council for a new school building on the green-field site which currently caters for Errigal College’s football and GAA pitches.
At the time, it was suggested the new facility could be opened by 2026.
However, it has now emerged that architects for the Department of Education have asked Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB) to explore how many students could be accommodated by extending the existing building as an alternative to proceeding with plans for a new build on the school’s pitch.
A meeting of Donegal ETB has heard how the issue arose following a visit by the department architect to the school on February 13. Members say this visit marked a clear change of direction.
Cllr Donal Coyle told last Friday’s Donegal ETB meeting that, as a member of the school’s board of management, he had believed the project had been progressing satisfactorily up until last month.
He described the latest development as “a real bolt from the blue” and said it was disappointing that the department is not opting for the new build on the school pitch at this time.
Cllr Coyle said there was a need to “look outside the box” in relation to a culvert issue raised previously, which has the potential to cause downstream flooding.
He called for a meeting of Donegal County Council, the Office of Public Works, the Department of Education and the Errigal College board of management “to see if a solution can be found for the site that’s chosen for Errigal College”.
The pressure on the school continues to intensify, with approximately 145 first-year pupils expected to start in 2026.
The new school building was planned to include 27 general classrooms, 19 specialist classrooms, two special needs classrooms, a special education needs suite, a multi-purpose hall, staffroom and administration rooms.
The original design brief had been based on capacity for 750 pupils. However, enrolment has grown so rapidly that there are already 726 pupils attending, with that figure now expected to be revised further by the design team.
Meanwhile, at Friday’s meeting, Cllr Fionán Bradley welcomed progress on the long-awaited three-school campus in Buncrana, which is finally going to planning after nearly 20 years.
“I’m happy today, the happiest man in Buncrana,” he said, adding that he “slept soundly that night of March 10 (when the planning application was made) without a trip to Knock and hoped for a positive planning outcome.”
Cllr Bradley also acknowledged the frustration being experienced at Errigal College in Letterkenny over delays to its proposed development plans.