Industry consultancy Atkins has been selected to help deliver a new 600-pupil school in Co Kerry.

The new Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí school will be built in Tralee and is targeted for completion in time for the 2019/2020 academic year.

Features will include:

• Over 20 general purpose classrooms

• Specialists room including multimedia, music, design and communications graphics etc

• Science laboratories

• Arts rooms

• Home economics room

• Construction studies, engineering and technology rooms A school library, general purpose areas, students dining area, staff room etc

• In addition the new school building project will include a full size PE hall for the school

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Atkins, who will provide Civil and Structural design and PSDP services for the project, took part in the contract signing for the newly appointed Design Team last week at the Kerry Education and Training Board (Kerry ETB) Head Office.

Work will now begin on progressing the design and planning phase of the project, which will involve significant interaction with the Department of Education and Skills and Kerry County Council.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kerry ETB, Colm McEvoy, stated that "the construction of the new school and PE hall for Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí which is due for completion in 2019/2020 is a very significant and important project for Kerry ETB. The ETB looks forward to the completion of the school building project on the site at Hawley Park which was transferred from Kerry Co. Co. to Kerry ETB. The new school building when completed will provide state of the art facilities for the teachers and students."

Kevin Holland, Project Manager for Atkins, said: "Atkins is well-placed to deliver this project, because of our technical excellence and successful track record. We look forward to completing this exciting project successfully with Kerry ETB, Oppermann Associates Architects, Varming Consulting Engineers, McGahon Surveyors and the rest of the team."

(LM/MH)