Appeals to Catholic Diocese to 'gift' plot of land to local national school

A Cork City councillor has appealed to the Catholic Diocese to ‘gift’ a plot of land in the Crestfield Centre to St Joseph’s National School in Glanmire.

The deadline for offers for the plot of land which is set on 0.84 acre is today.

Independent councillor Ger Keohane has called on the Catholic Diocese to gift it to the local national school as it provides parking for the school and for the shopping centre. “It’s been used as a carpark for years to accommodate parents parking and bringing their kids to the St Joseph’s National School. It has also been used as parking for customers for the retail units in the shopping centre. 

"It is an important part of what’s needed in Glanmire with reference to parking and relieving congestion in Riverstown,” he said.

“I’m calling for the Catholic Diocese rather than to sell it, to gift it to St Joseph’s National School,” Cllr Keohane said. “It belongs to the parish and they’re selling it. I would be asking the diocese not to sell it, and gift it to St Joseph’s National School. 

“The asking price is €350,000. It’s zoned for town centre so they might get more units in there. I’m asking the diocese to gift this patch of land which has been like this for years upon years to gift it to the school rather than selling it,” he added.

Fr Tom Hayes, who is parish priest of Enniskeane, told The Echo the land belongs to Glanmire Parish. “It is the tail end of a piece of ground that the parish bought there about 20 years ago when they were considering building a church there. The money for it was borrowed by Glanmire Parish. The parish is now basically selling it. 

"It is not a community piece of property. It belongs to the parish. It has no connection at all with the school. It is a completely different property,” he said.

Fr Hayes said the diocese has and will ‘continue’ to support all the schools in the locality. 

“The diocese has supported and continues to support all the schools. Most of the parishes are struggling to sustain their own sustainability financially and the parishes don’t have assets to give away anymore.

“There was a time when all the parishes provided the grounds for the schools and they often provided the buildings as well, but unfortunately the world has changed, and the parishes don’t have those kinds of resources anymore. Given that the money for this piece of ground was originally borrowed by the parish, the parish is just getting back what it originally gave,” he added.