AQW 5714/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Education
To ask the Minister of Education (i) to detail the schools in South Belfast that are awaiting the beginning or completion of a new build project; and (ii) to provide the current ranking for the prioritisation of works for those new school builds that are yet to begin.
Asked by Kate Nicholl MLA on 7 February 2024
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 7 February 2024
- Answer due by
- 22 February 2024
- Answered
- 15 February 20248 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Education
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Five schools in the South Belfast constituency have been announced under the Major Capital Works Programme and one school has been announced under the Fresh Start Agreement.
Major Capital Programme
Scoil an Droichid Primary School was announced to advance in planning in June 2014. The new school build project is fully designed with planning approval in place. Due to the current capital budget position the project has had to be paused, prior to appointment of a building contractor.
Hunterhouse College, Malone Integrated College and St Joseph’s College, Belfast, were announced to advance in planning in March 2022. All three projects were paused in April 2023 due to the current budget position. No feasibility work has commenced on any of these projects. However, on 12 February I announced that seven of the projects from the 2022 announcement would now progress in planning, which included Malone Integrated College. Procurement of an Integrated Consultant Team will now be undertaken.
Breda Academy was announced to advance in planning in June 2014. The project was subsequently paused by the Education Authority. It will be for the Education Authority, as the Managing Authority for the school, to reinstate the project when it is in a position to do so.
Fresh Start Agreement
Forge Integrated Primary School was announced as part of the Fresh Start Agreement in 2016. The new build school project is currently in the design stage and the planning application process is ongoing. It is anticipated that construction of the new build will commence on site in early in early 2026.
Without additional capital funding Scoil an Droichid cannot progress to the construction stage and the twenty-one remaining projects from the March 2022 announcement cannot be progressed. Should capital funding become available projects will be reviewed and prioritized for delivery.