Minister signs design contract for the Lisanelly Shared Educational Campus

Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, today signed a £3.2million contract with Bovis Lend Lease to begin the design of the proposed Shared Education Campus in Omagh.

The Minister said: "The Department, supported by Strategic Investment Board Ltd, has reached a significant milestone in the development of a shared educational campus in Omagh. The Exemplar Design Team will shortly begin to work with the schools and the local community to begin the process of working up design proposals for the Lisanelly site. This is an extremely important milestone for the Department, the Omagh schools and the wider community.

"Many of the post-primary schools in Omagh are in need of major capital development. Through co-location of the existing schools on the Lisanelly site, this landmark project offers a unique opportunity to provide state-of-the-art facilities for every school – buildings, grounds and playing facilities of the highest quality. Each school will retain its own identity, distinctiveness and ethos, while benefiting from enhanced shared facilities and operating within an environment of collaboration, sharing, tolerance, inclusion and promotion of mutual respect and regard.

"An intensive period of work lies ahead of us as the parents, pupils and teachers engage with the design team to begin to create and shape their educational campus. This phase of work will bring this project to life and show to the people of Omagh what a shared campus could look like. This is their opportunity to become involved in a unique project that can change the way in which education is delivered for the children of Omagh in the future."

The Minister went on to say: "Lisanelly and the shared education campus, is a major prize for the community of Omagh and the surrounding areas and will have a positive impact on every aspect of life. It is a unique opportunity for Omagh and one I would urge it to grasp with both hands.

"I would like to thank everyone involved with the project, in particular Monsignor Joseph Donnelly and Reverend Robert Herron, for their hard work and commitment."

Notes to editors:

1. Background

The Hillsborough Agreement: The gifting of the Lisanelly site to the NI Executive for an educational campus is part of the recent Hillsborough Agreement between the UK Government and the NI Executive. The Education Campus comprises approx 48 ha (118 acres) on the east side of the Strule River, and additional 8 ha (21 acres) on the west side of the River Strule. Currently the total landbank of the post primary schools in Omagh is c. 60 acres.

Since 2006, a number of key education policies have been developed and agreed, following detailed discussion with schools and with school authorities. These include the Revised NI Curriculum which, for post- primary schools, includes the statutory Entitlement Framework (EF). The legislation establishing the EF requires that all schools offer to all their pupils, either by themselves or through collaboration, a wide ranging curriculum that must include one third general (academic) and one third applied (vocational) subjects. In addition, because of declining enrolments, over-provision of school places, financial considerations and the importance of encouraging and facilitating community cohesion – all of which were addressed in the Bain Report in December 2006, Government has focussed on the need to address the issue of sustainable schools, the need for shared planning of capital provision and the need to make optimum use of scarce financial resources. As a consequence, decisions about school capital provision will no longer be taken in isolation but in the context of the overall needs on an area.

2. Announcement of Funding

A budget of £3.2million has been agreed by DE and approved by DFP for the Masterplan and Exemplar Design Development.

3. Appointment of Programme Director and Project Team

A tendering process for the exemplar design, financial, legal and technical teams to develop the campus model was completed on 2 March 2010 with the formal appointment of all professional teams expected shortly. The exemplar design process is due to be completed by March 2011.

The Preferred Bidders are lead by Bovis Lend Lease (BLL), one of the worlds leading fully integrated property solution providers. BLL have an extensive portfolio of projects in all areas of design and development including significant education projects such as the current £1.2billion Birmingham Schools for the Future project.

Also included on the successful team are Masterplan Architects and Design Champions Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) who carried out a similar role on the Stratford City Regeneration and were architects on the recently completed Westminster Academy, awarded 2008 Public Building of the Year.

Local architectural firms HMD Architects and Isherwood & Ellis will imbue each school with the evolution and development of an individual and distinctive vision for themselves. Both firms have considerable experience of working on education projects.

Importantly, Educationalist Sean Bradley, a former president of the National Association of Head Teachers (NI) has been appointed as part of the team to assist in addressing the educational aspects of the project including advising on best practice in relation to transformational education.

The team also consists of planning & community development consultants, Strategic Planning; cost managers, Moore McDonald; civil & structural engineers, Taylor & Boyd; services engineers, Caldwell Consulting; landscape architects, MWA Partnership and traffic consultants, JMP Consultants.

Hazel Jones has been appointed by DE/SIB as Programme Director for the project. An engineer and town planner, she has held posts at senior management level in both the public and private sector and was most recently Development Director of Ballymore Properties (Ireland).

4. Media queries to the Department of Education Press Office on 028 9127 9207. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.