NI schools: Department of Education 'pauses' 28 new building projects

The Department said it could not incur costs on projects which were "unlikely to proceed" for many years

Twenty-eight post-primary schools in Northern Ireland which were earmarked for new buildings have been told the process has been "paused".

The Department of Education (DE) has blamed budget pressures for the decision.

The former education minister Michelle McIlveen approved new buildings for the 28 post-primaries at a cost of almost £800m in March 2022.

At the time, she admitted construction would depend on future funding.

But Ms McIlveen's announcement allowed the planning and design process for each new school to begin.

'Not affordable'

The move came just before the dissolution of Stormont ahead of the 2022 assembly election.

However, the department has now paused the process, meaning that design teams and consultants cannot be appointed to take the 28 new school buildings forward.

The director of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) said that businesses and schools would be affected by the delays.

BBC News NI previously revealed that no new school buildings or school extensions would be started in 2023-24 due to cuts to the education budget.

Work already started is to continue but no new building projects will begin.

But BBC News NI can now reveal that the 28 post-primaries across Northern Ireland earmarked for new buildings by Ms McIlveen in March 2022 have also been told that is being delayed.

A letter from the DE to headteachers said that "it is not affordable for the department to incur consultancy spend and expend considerable staffing resource on projects which are unlikely to proceed to site for many years".

"Procurement of consultant teams will not, therefore, proceed at this time.

"This decision has been considered at length and has not been taken lightly, as the department is acutely aware of the pressing need for investment at your school.

"I know this will be extremely disappointing for you and the entire school community."

Ciarán Fox said the new school buildings were "much needed" facilities

The director of the RSUA Ciarán Fox told BBC News NI that the pause in procurement would affect schools and businesses.

"Our first thought is with the schools involved," he said.

"This will push back what is already an elongated process to get much needed modern, fit-for-purpose facilities for them.

"And for our sector, it's another blow at what is already a challenging time.

"The design teams for these schools would mostly be led by architects but they'd also involve other specialists like engineers, quantity surveyors, environmental experts and transport experts.

"We're now being told that there's not likely to be any further progress on these 28 major school builds until the next financial year so that will have a wide impact," Mr Fox added.