Atkins – a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group – has been appointed by Ireland’s National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), on behalf of the Department of Education, as the project management and design team for the second project bundle being delivered as part of the country’s Devolved Schools Building Programme 2 (DSBP2).

Named Project Boyne, this bundle will see the development of six schools, including new builds, extensions and refurbishments, and represents the second of three bundles in a wider programme of 20 individual school building projects being undertaken across primary and post-primary schools in Ireland under DSBP2.

As project lead, Atkins will provide project management, technical advisory and design team services alongside Simon J Kelly & Partners, McCullough Mulvin Architects, W H Stephens, Douglas Carroll Consulting Engineers, Cunnane Stratton Reynolds Land Planning & Design, and Coakley O’Neill Town Planners.

Project Boyne includes the following schools:

• Patrician Post Primary, Newbridge, Kildare
• Cross and Passion, Kilcullen, Kildare
• Mary’s Post Primary, School, Naas
• Franciscan College, Gormanstown, Meath
• Presentation De La Salle, Bagnelstown, Carlow
• Colaiste Chraoibh Abhainn, Kilcoole, Wicklow

Kevin Holland, Technical Director at Atkins, said: “We are excited to begin the design development process for Project Boyne and continue to work with our partners, the NDFA and the Department of Education to deliver school projects across the country. We look forward to engaging with key stakeholders over the coming months to develop sustainable, state of the art places of learning which will benefit the local communities for generations to come.”

DSBP2 is part of the Department of Education’s commitment to fund 310 major school projects and provide 62,000 additional school places. The programme, which is being delivered by the NDFA, comprises 20 projects being delivered as three distinct bundles: Project Nore, Project Boyne and Project Dargle.

The appointment to Project Boyne follows Atkins’ ongoing delivery on the first bundle of schools awarded under DSBP 2, Project Nore, which incorporates seven schools across four counties. A critical milestone was recently reached for Project Nore with the last of the seven planning applications being lodged.