Childcare and School Demand Assessment
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DELPHI DESIGN ARCHITECTURE + PLANNING Childcare and School Demand Assessment In respect of: Strategic Housing Development at Lissywollen, Athlone, County Westmeath Prepared by: Delphi Design Architecture + Planning On behalf of the applicant: Alanna Roadbridge Developments Ltd. FEBRUARY 2021 DELPHI DESIGN ARCHITECTURE + PLANNING Delphi Design, Architecture + Planning, 13, The Seapoint Building, 44/45 Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3, D03 A0H3. T: (01) 47 93 140 E: [email protected] LISSYWOLLEN SHD CHILDCARE AND SCHOOL DEMAND ASSESSMENT 1 | P a g e DELPHI DESIGN ARCHITECTURE + PLANNING Table of Contents Part A - Background ...............................................................................................................................5 1.0. Introduction........................................................................................................................................6 2.0. Development Overview .......................................................................................................................7 3.0. Planning Policy ................................................................................................................................ 11 Part B – Childcare Demand Analysis..................................................................................................... 18 4.0.Childcare Assessment ....................................................................................................................... 19 Part C – Schools Assessment ............................................................................................................... 25 5.0. Demographic Trends ........................................................................................................................ 26 6.0.Assessment of Primary School Provision............................................................................................. 30 7.0.Assessment of Post-Primary School Provision ..................................................................................... 34 Part D – Overall Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 38 8.0.Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 39 LISSYWOLLEN SHD CHILDCARE AND SCHOOL DEMAND ASSESSMENT 2 | P a g e DELPHI DESIGN ARCHITECTURE + PLANNING List of Figures Figure 1 - Subject site in the context of Athlone. .........................................................................................8 Figure 2 - Study area.............................................................................................................................. 19 Figure 3 - Existing childcare services. ...................................................................................................... 20 Figure 4 - Existing primary schools. ......................................................................................................... 30 Figure 5 - Existing post-primary schools. .................................................................................................. 34 LISSYWOLLEN SHD CHILDCARE AND SCHOOL DEMAND ASSESSMENT 3 | P a g e DELPHI DESIGN ARCHITECTURE + PLANNING List of Tables Table 1 - Existing childcare services sourced from Tulsa. .......................................................................... 21 Table 2 - Existing childcare services sourced from Pobal. .......................................................................... 21 Table 3 - Proposed dwelling mix. ............................................................................................................. 23 Table 4 - Population change 2006 - 2016. ................................................................................................ 26 Table 5 - Population change 2006 - 2016 (0 - 4 age cohort). ...................................................................... 27 Table 6 - Existing primary schools............................................................................................................ 31 Table 7 - Enrolment figures for the four year period covering 2016-2020. .................................................... 31 Table 8 - Existing post-primary schools. ................................................................................................... 35 Table 9 - Enrolment figures for the four year period covering 2016-2020. .................................................... 35 LISSYWOLLEN SHD CHILDCARE AND SCHOOL DEMAND ASSESSMENT 4 | P a g e DELPHI DESIGN ARCHITECTURE + PLANNING Part A - Background LISSYWOLLEN SHD CHILDCARE AND SCHOOL DEMAND ASSESSMENT 5 | P a g e DELPHI DESIGN ARCHITECTURE + PLANNING 1.0. Introduction 1.1. Purpose of Report 1.1.1. This Childcare and School Demand Assessment (hereafter ‘assessment’) has been prepared by Delphi Design, Architecture + Planning, on behalf of Alanna Roadbridge Developments Ltd. (the applicant) to accompany the application for Strategic Housing Development (SHD) submitted to An Bord Pleanála in respect of lands at Lissywollen, Athlone, County Westmeath. 1.1.2. This assessment aims to: 1. Review the existing planning policy context in relation to the provision of childcare services and schools; 2. Detail the existing range of childcare services and schools in the vicinity of the development site; 3. Assess the capacity of existing childcare services and schools to support for the proposed development; 4. Consider the childcare services proposed as part of the subject development; 5. Forecast the expected demand for childcare services and schools generated by the proposed development; 6. Evaluate the if expected demand will be appropriately met by existing and proposed services. 1.2. Request for Assessment 1.2.1. As part of the SHD process, tri-partite pre-application consultations were held between the applicant, the local planning authority (Westmeath County Council) and An Bord Pleanála. An Bord Pleanála’s Case Reference for the consultations is ABP-305726-19. 1.2.2. 2 no. pre-application consultations were held. The first meeting took place on 11th December 2019 at the offices of Westmeath County Council in Mullingar with the second meeting taking place on 30th March 2020 via Microsoft Teams - for full details of same please refer to the Planning Report prepared by Delphi Design which accompanies the application. 1.2.3. Subsequently, An Bord Pleanála issued a Notice of Pre-Application Consultation Opinion which requested the applicant to submit a “Childcare demand analysis and the likely demand for childcare places” with the application. This assessment has been prepared in accordance with same. 1.3. Structure of Assessment 1.3.1. This assessment is structured in four parts: Parts A, B, C & D. 1.3.2. Part A consists of an introduction to the assessment, provides background information on the proposed development, and reviews the existing planning policy context in relation to childcare services and schools. 1.3.3. Part B consists of a childcare demand analysis which details the existing range of childcare services in the vicinity of the development site and establishes if these existing services, together with those proposed as part of the subject development, have capacity to support the expected demand generated by the proposed development. 1.3.4. Part C discusses demographic trends in relation to schools and assesses the capacity of existing primary and post-primary schools to support the expected demand generated by the proposed development. 1.3.5. Part D provides for overall conclusions of the assessment. LISSYWOLLEN SHD CHILDCARE AND SCHOOL DEMAND ASSESSMENT 6 | P a g e DELPHI DESIGN ARCHITECTURE + PLANNING 2.0. Development Overview 2.1. Site Location 2.1.1. The application site is located c. 1 kilometre to the northeast of Athlone town centre, County Westmeath, in the townlands of Lissywollen, Kilnafaddoge & Retreat, and partially traversing the townlands of Curragh, Cloghanboy (Strain) & Cloghanboy (Homan). 2.1.2. The site is located within lands designated for the Lissywollen South Framework Plan 2018-2024 (hereafter LSFP). The LSFP lands are bounded to the north by the N6, which connects Kinnegad to Galway, to the west by the R915 (Ballymahon Road) and to the east by the R916. The LSFP lands are partially bisected along the south by the Old Rail Trail Greenway which forms a section of the Dublin-Galway National Cycle Network. 2.1.3. The application site (i.e. that within the red line boundaries detailed on the site location map / site layout drawings prepared by Delphi Design and enclosed with the application) is generally bounded to the north by the N6, and to the south by the Old Rail Trail Greenway. To the west, the site is bounded by Scoil na gCeithre Máistrí primary school and Athlone Regional Sports Centre. The eastern boundary of the site is defined by an old boreen road further east of which lies undeveloped greenfield lands and ESB Regional Headquarters. 2.1.4. The proposed development includes for the construction of a new east-west access route (Lissywollen Avenue) through the development site which is being delivered as per the objectives of the LSFP and as such, the full extent of the application boundaries span from the existing Ballymahon roundabout (on the R915 - to the west) to the existing Garrycastle roundabout (on the R916 - to the east). 2.2. Site Description 2.2.1. The application site currently consists of undeveloped