Residents lodge objections to new school in Kildare town 

The wait for a new secondary school in Kildare Town will now be extended after two local families appealed its planning permission to An Bord Pleanála.

The long-awaited replacement to the 140-student Community College that has been operating for military families in the Curragh Camp since 1933 saw the Department of Education apply to Kildare County Council in October last year.

It plans to build a two-storey, 37 classroom school for 1,000 students on a 3.25Ha (8ac) academy on the site of the former Magee Barracks in town, and would be built over two phases.

The new Curragh Community College is to serve students from south Kildare including Kildare, Newbridge, Milltown, Suncroft and the surrounds. It was given planning permission last month, however concerns raised by locals with the planning application saw them take a step further when the project was given the green light by the Council.

The two families live in St Barbera’s Park and on the Melitta Road, and their concerns are mainly with the traffic on the planned distributor road that will be constructed along the boundary of this site to connect Melitta Road (R413) and the Dublin Road (R445) to help alleviate the pressures of all the vehicles from that side of town having to come through the top of the Square.

According to one family , parents already park outside there house for two primary school drop-offs, and it can be difficult to leave the house during school times.

Also, with the arrival of all the new through traffic, this family is also worried about a loss of privacy because of the proximity of the new road.

“The school is for 1,000 pupils and 70-80 per cent of these will be arriving by car (which) will make leaving the estate dreadful,” they said.

“The plan for a ‘Yield’ sign at the end of the road is outside my front gate, which means I can no longer park outside my property when needed … and will have no option but to have to put my car in the garden,” they said.

The family in Melitta Road, while “welcoming” the school, have “grave concerns about the layout” which they believe will affect access to their property.

“The entrance to our property is already at a junction, and the proposal to add another junction a few metres away would make it impossible to enter or access our property,” they said.

However, in reply to these concerns the department of education furnished a 115-page traffic management plan which has already got the green light from the National Transport Authority (NTA).

Also, local senator Fiona O’Loughlin – who has been a vocal proponent of the new school for many years - has appealed for the two objections lodged with An Bord Pleanála against the proposed new school to be withdrawn.

“We all know the challenges we have seen in recent years when it comes to school place allocations, and our local school capacity is under pressure,” she said.

“I understand that the department of education have been liaising and negotiating with the objectors, and I am appealing that these objections would be withdrawn.

“I totally appreciate everyone’s right to have their voices heard, and to express their opinion on any planning application.

“However, this is a crucial issue … and we need to get this school built.” 

She added: “I have spoken to Minister Foley, and she assured me that tender evaluations for the project are continuing, and that the department is doing everything to prevent delays, still planning to have the new school completed and open by August 2026.

"An Bord Pleanála are due to decide on these two in March 2025, but I would again appeal to those who have raised the objections to please withdraw them and engage with the Department to ensure we deliver a school building that meets everyone’s need.” 

The plan for the new school will include a four-classroom special education needs unit, and will be right next to two existing primary schools - Kildare Town Educate Together National School and Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha.

The Barracks closed for military purposes in 1998, and was sold for development for €8.2m in 2016.

In November 2019 An Bord Pleanála gave planning permission to Ballymount Properties to build 375 houses on the 21Ha (51.4ac) site, to include a creche, a retail unit and café, and an exhibition space.