Ormeau Road Irish language school has planning permission renewed

Planning permission for a new Irish language primary school in the Ormeau Road area of South Belfast has been renewed five years after the last application.

Elected representatives at the Belfast City Council Planning Committee this week gave the green light for a new seven classroom primary gaelscoil, with learning support and an autism spectrum disorder unit, as well as a single unit nursery on the former site of the now demolished Ulidia Primary School.

The location is Ulidia Resource Centre, Somerset Street, Ballynafoy, Belfast, BT7. The applicant is Claire Donnelly, Scoil an Droichid, Cooke Street, Belfast BT7.

Existing site entrances are to be retained and used for site access while new car parking, bus parking and drop-off points are planned. There will be new footpaths, boundary treatment, and new hard and soft play areas. A similar proposal was granted in June 2019, and the decision this week was effectively a renewal of planning permission, after work was not completed in the five year permission period.

There were no objections from statutory consultees, and council planning officers recommended the application to elected representatives for approval.

The council received a petition with 18 signatories objecting to the proposal. Objectors raised two issues, the potential for increased traffic volume and impact on congestion in Parkmore and Somerset Street, and the potential impact of increased traffic and congestion on road safety.

Access to the school is via the one-way Somerset Street, located off the Ormeau Road. This is a residential street which accommodates parking on either side. The proposal will incorporate a one way system with a layby for drop offs and egress onto Cross Parade. A car park is also included for staff parking.

The council planning report states: “Scoil an Droichid currently occupy a site on Cooke Road, which is 57 percent below the recommended area, with deficiencies in all spaces. The current site is unable to accommodate the expansion of the school.”