Major extension for County Roscommon school gets planning approval

Brideswell National School in South Roscommon has been granted planning permission for a major extension.

Roscommon County Council has given the go-ahead to the school for the conversion of a three-classroom school building into a two classroom Special Educational Needs (SEN) base.

The extension project includes the construction of a connecting single-storey three mainstream classroom extension to the rear of the existing school building. As part of the works, an existing play shed and boiler house will be demolished along with the removal of the existing small prefabricated units.

The major works will also involve the provision of a new astro pitch and associated hard and soft play areas.

The planning documents outline that the significant development stems from the National Council for Special Education approaching Brideswell NS to establish special education classes to serve the South Roscommon area.

Details of current SEN classroom provision for the county included in the documents reveals that Athlone Municipal District(MD) is significantly below the classroom numbers for Boyle MD and Roscommon MD.

In putting forward this proposal, the school’s Board of Management of Brideswell National School stated in the planning documents that the development presented the best long-term solution for the school in providing an inclusive learning environment.

It said that the development would meet the space needs of the mainstream pupils, and the efficient re-use and complete renovation of the existing school block would serve as the core of the SEN base.

The pupil population as of September 2023 is 63, with the provision of an additional two SEN classrooms set to increase numbers by 12 (six pupils per SEN classroom).

Having considered all of the information provided by the school, the planners, in the associated documents, said they were satisfied that a sufficient case had been made to demonstrate the need for the proposed development to meet the educational needs of students in South Roscommon in an inclusive manner.

The planning permission comes with thirteen conditions, including that the maximum number of pupils at the school be 75.

The original Brideswell school consisted of one classroom built in 1901, with two additional classrooms built in 1994 and 2009 .