Planners in Ireland's Cork County have granted conditional planning permission for the proposed new Skibbereen Community School.

The project, which will bring together three schools in the same facilities, will replace Mercy Heights, De la Salle and Rossa College. The works are scheduled to commence in 2014-2015 after a tender process through the Public private partnership model is completed.

Skibbereen's mayor, Mr Adrian Healy, stated:

The new community school - which is part of a national programme of 70 projects under a public private partnership (PPP) - has got to be the biggest and the best piece of good news this year.There has been some time slippage but the important thing is that the €12.4 million for this project has been confirmed as being 'ring-fenced' by Minister Brian Hayes, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works.

The new state-of-the-art secondary school will accommodate 900 pupils in a new two-storey building with 30 specialist classrooms, 23 general classrooms, a general purpose hall, canteen, offices, and a four special needs unit.

The development on a 19-acre site will also include 95 car parking spaces, a new access road, bus turning circle and drop-off and pick-up facilities.

This announcement follows a series of PPP projects that are currently being tendered in Ireland.

In November 2013, the Irish National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) launched the tender process for the Grangegorman Public Private Partnership (PPP) project, two new education buildings. In January 2014, the NDFA launched the RFQ for the Primary Care Centres (PCCs) Programme to design, build, finance and provide facility management services to between 10-14 PCCs.

Shortlists have been announced for the M11 Gorey to Enniscorthy PPP Scheme, the  Schools PPP Bundles 4 and 5, and the Ireland's N25 New Ross Bypass PPP project.

A technical advisor was also appointed for a the construction of a police station through PPP.