Spring date for Down High School contract is possible

Spring date for Down High School contract is possible

10 November 2021

THE contract to build Down High School’s new multi-million pound campus could be awarded as early as next spring.

The Education Authority has confirmed this week that tenders to build the new school on land behind Down Council’s former Strangford Road headquarters in Downpatrick were issued last month.

Education officials expect that it will take 26 months to build the eagerly-anticipated new building and complete all associated site works once construction work on the ultra-modern school gets underway.

The proposed development site was purchased some time ago by the Department of Education with the construction of the new school deemed a priority as far back as 2009 due to what at the time was described as the existing school’s “substandard accommodation and over-reliance on temporary classrooms” at its Mount Crescent site.

The site of the new campus — which borders the Strangford and Quoile roads —  is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty which also includes a graveyard linked to the town’s former workhouse.

Extensive archaeological work was disrupted by the coronavirus but has resumed to identify and evaluate any remains at the site. 

It is understood that any which are discovered will be relocated to a nearby site during an ecumenical service led by local clergy.

School officials say they are aware of the “historic significance” of the development site, with plans to commemorate important parts of local history.

Last week, a planning application was submitted to request a variation to a condition on the original planning approval for the new school.

The variation is to change the wording of the archaeological condition to allow the development of the new school to commence once Newry, Mourne and Down Council has approved an archaeological plan of works, rather than on the implementation of the planned work.

An Education Authority spokesperson explained that this is to allow construction of the new school to start, in tandem with the completion of the archaeological works which, due to the significant findings, could take some time. 

“Site works are due to finish next January. However the report could take a further six months or more to complete,” the spokesperson confirmed.

Education officials have also revealed that an addendum to the original business case was completed and approved in March this year.

They say the new school project was issued for tender in October with a target of contract award by the second quarter of 2022 “to complete a 26-month contract period for construction of the new school building and associated works”.