Increasing student numbers has resulted in Portumna Community School embarking on a major extension, with planning permission is now being sought for the development.

The school, which takes in post-primary students from across South East Galway and North Tipperary, has an attendance of around 475 along with 50 teaching staff.

The school is located at St Brigid’s Road in Portumna and apart from it being highly regarded for its education achievements, it also has a proud history of successful camogie and hurling teams, with notable All-Ireland titles.

There is one vehicular access to the school from the main road and the management are hoping to provide another access that would facilitate both deliveries and the emergency services, if required.

The site is bounded by farmland to one side and a derelict commercial building to the other. A decision from Galway County Council on the planning application is due on July 15.

The proposed additional accommodations consist of a two- and three-storey extension that will be constructed close to the existing PE hall as part of the first phase.

The second phase of the development would involve the demolition of a number of the existing school buildings, followed by the construction of a single-storey general purpose and dining hall along with four Special Educational Needs (SEN) classrooms.

The final phase of the works would be the construction of the car park and set down area to the west of the new buildings. The site layout provides for a reduced width service road which would provide access for deliveries to the rear of the school for gas, wood and metal to the technical classrooms. This is also required for firefighting purposes.

There are currently provisions for a total of 53 car parking spaces on site. An additional 38 spaces could be provided off the proposed service access road, if this is sought by Galway County Council.

Overall, the new accommodation, if granted, will include 27 teaching classrooms, a separate four classroom SEN unit, along with additional rooms such as general purpose, dining, library, staff room and changing facilities. Additionally, the existing bus set-down area will be extended.

A Road Safety Audit found that due to an ongoing review of road traffic collision data by the Road Safety Authority website, no traffic collision data could be obtained for the vicinity of the proposed development site.

The audit team note that there are sightlines in the drawings provided to demonstrate that appropriate sightlines can be achieved when vehicles are exiting the car park.

However, the audit team is concerned that the appropriate sightlines cannot be achieved as telephone poles, parked cars and buses along the carriageway may obstruct visibility at the junction.

This could result in vehicles encroaching onto the main carriageway into the line of oncoming vehicles, which could lead to sideswipe or side impact type collisions.

It is suggested that design team should ensure that the proposed development does not encroach on the visibility requirements of the existing entrance to the south.

The audit team noted from the provided drawings that there were no proposed crossing points detailed at the entrance and exit junctions in the scheme.

“Lack of pedestrian crossings could result in users crossing the carriageway in undesignated locations which could result in potential vehicle collisions with vulnerable users or potential trip and falls,” it was stated.

Pictured: Portumna Community School: expansion plans.