Galway Bay fm newsroom- A secondary school in Tuam has been given approval to make some changes.
The county council has granted planning permission to the Board of Management of St. Jarlath's College to convert 4 classrooms on the first floor into 2 new classrooms.
However, the council has refused permission for the element of the plans that would have involved the demolition of a ball court, which has been described as a 'magnet' for anti-social behaviour.
St. Jarlath's College in Tuam is a protected structure.
The school has been given approval to convert 4 classrooms on the first floor into two new classrooms.
However, planners have refused to allow the college demolish a ball court, despite the argument that it has become an attraction for anti-social behaviour and weekend drinking.
In refusing permission for the demolition element of the plans, council planners state that the ball court, albeit constructed in the 1950s, contributes to the surrounding protected structure.
Therefore, they state that its demolition would have a serious detrimental impact on the setting of the protected nearby church and would impact on the character of the area.
Photograph: jarlaths.ie
