Frustration at lack of playing pitches for 1500 students at Cork's largest school campus

Cork County Council is demanding that the Department of Education open promised playing pitches at the county’s largest school campus.

It has been described as “absolutely criminal” that around 1,500 students still have no access to grass pitches, which were supposed to have been created as part of the campus’ planning permission when it opened nearly two years ago.

The Cobh Municipal District Council, which is in charge of the Carrigtwohill area, wrote to the department about this, but has received no reply.

In frustration, its members sought full council backing to put pressure on the department, winning unanimous cross-party support.

Carrigtwohill-based Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said that the council previously received permission for the two primary schools and one secondary school campus on the basis that grassed playing pitches would be developed.

The department then said the pitches were in floodplains and this could not be done but later accepted the need to develop them.

Yet nearly a year on from that, nothing has happened.

Once the schools reach capacity, they will have 2,000 pupils. This is likely to occur quickly as the population in the area is growing rapidly.

Mr Barry said that even from when he was a child he could not remember the 3.5 acres earmarked for the pitches ever flooding.

“Even if we had another Storm Babet and they did flood, it would be for just a couple of days,” he said. 

“To look at that field with a chain on the entrance to it is absolutely criminal. Clearly the department is dragging its heels on this. 

"I hope that the new minister for education, Hildegarde Naughton, will push this on.

“In the current environment, when we are encouraging our young people to be more active and engage in outdoor activities, it is maddening to see this field lying idle.”

Fine Gael councillor Sinead Sheppard said it was “totally unacceptable” that such a huge school campus did not have grass pitches.

Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Mulcahy, a member of the secondary school’s board of management, described the situation as “highly frustrating”. He added that a number of Dáil questions had been put to the department on what progress was being made on developing the pitches, and the replies were “vague”.

Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan, chairwoman of Cork ETB, said she was “shocked to hear” of the delay and described it as “not good enough”. She added that in her capacity her office would do anything it could to put pressure on the department to develop the pitches.

The Mayor of County Cork Mary Linehan Foley said it was unacceptable that the department had not replied to the Cobh municipal council.