Tullamore College planning to be sought a decade after fire

Planning permission for a new school building for Tullamore College is expected to be sought just weeks after the ten year anniversary of the fire that seriously damaged the original school building. A fire broke out in the Daingean Road school on June 7, 2001. This week Tullamore College principal Edward McEvoy said all going to schedule a planning permission application will be made in the first week of August for a new school building with capacity for 685 pupils. He added that he'd be hopeful if present rate of progress is maintained "we'd be close to occupation in 2012/3". Work "really picked up" when a design team was appointed to the project earlier this year, Mr McEvoy said. "We're very grateful to the Department of Education for the support they've given the project," he said this week "and great credit goes to present and previous parent councils of Tullamore College who worked so hard to keep the building project alive". Current plans will see the existing school building demolished, and a new school built between the current gym and the main road, close to the rounadabout. Mr McEvoy explained the new building could not be built at the back of the present buildings as the land is part of the flood plain of Tullamore River. The school's current gym will be retained, It's one of the largest school gyms in the country, and Mr McEvoy said if it wasn't retained a new gym would not be as large. As part of the project however it will get a makeover, including a sprung wooden floor. Plans currently include a single and two story block between Tullamore College and the neighbouring Sacred Heart School. A three storey block will be built close to the roundabout, and a single storey adjacent to Riverside so as not to dwarf houses. The whole structure will be built around an internal courtyard. The present school building will be turned into tennis and basketball courts, and the present sports pitch will be re-aligned to full-size with the addition of a soccer pitch.