The former Derrytrasna National School is to be demolished despite multiple objections and heritage experts arguing it would result in the loss of an “historic” and “community asset”.
In all, 14 letters of objection were lodged with ABC Council as it considered two applications submitted by Fr Fitzpatrick, relating to plans in the grounds and surrounds of St Mary’s RC Church.
Proposals were first lodged in January 2023.
The council’s planning meeting on Wednesday considered the reports and, with little discussion on the matter, approved both applications.
Senior planning officer Nicola Creaney said the applicant’s intention was to provide additional car parking at St Mary’s Church, which is a listed building, along with the widening of the entrance and provision of a pedestrian gate and soft landscaping.
Listed building consent was required for the widening of the entrance and addition of the gate, as the boundary wall is also listed.
But it emerged that Derrytrasna National School, within the grounds, is not in fact listed and therefore permission was not required to raze it to the ground.
The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, however, made an eleventh-hour attempt to save the school from demolition, submitting a formal objection on the day of the planning meeting.
They said the demolition would “deprive this area of another historic building”, describing it as an “irreversible” action and one which “brings few community benefits”.
UAHS insisted the school building could have been “used by the community and restored sympathetically for numerous uses, which would have wider local benefits”. They felt that “attempts to reuse the site and engage with the community to identify local needs should be prioritised rather than demolition”.
Instead, the intention now is to retain part of a gable wall as a ‘memorial’ to Derrytrasna National School.
Speaking at Wednesday’s planning committee, Ms Creaney said: “Early consultation with Historic Buildings did raise concerns and at this time HED advised it (the school) was part of the listing.
“Following discussions with the planning agent and a submission of a justification statement in 2024, HED reconsidered their position in November 2024, confirming the building is not listed and it doesn’t form part of the listings for St Mary’s Church.
“HED clarified in June 2025 that the old building was subject to a listing query, but it wasn’t deemed worthy of listing separately.
“It’s not subservient or ancillary to the church; it is a building in its own right. It’s not a listed curtilage structure and policy BH10 to demolish the listed building does not apply.
“On this basis, the Derrytrasna National School does not need planning permission or listed building consent for its demolition.”
Ms Creaney said there had been “no objections raised by any of the consultees” — the statutory bodies notified of the plans.
And in reply to committee chair, SF Councillor Kevin Savage, Ms Creaney reiterated that the applicant did not require permission “to take the building away”, but did “require permission for what is going in once it is removed”.
In response to the UAHS protests, she pointed out: “This building does not form part of the listing for the church, as confirmed by Historical Buildings Division. As the building is not listed and is not within a Conservation Area or an Area of Townscape or Village Character, planning officers cannot control its demolition.”
DUP Alderman Gareth Wilson proposed the recommendation on both applications be accepted, and these were seconded by SF Councillor Fergal Donnelly.
When Armagh I first revealed plans in January 2023, the proposals indicated the new site access to St Mary’s RC Church would be sufficient to accommodate two cars leaving and entering the park at the same time, which the applicants believed would help address safety concerns.
Papers accompanying the submission explained the situation thus: “The church and cemetery have existed on site for approximately 150 years and, as such, the site was not designed for modern vehicular traffic.
“Parking spaces on site are limited; the presence of the old school building creates challenges in terms of manoeuvrability on site. Safety is also an issue, particularly where small children are present.
“The majority of the attendees to the church tend to park on the roadside. This is partially due to the limited number of car parking spaces. The restricted single-car access is also a factor. Drivers tend to be reluctant to try to access the site during busy times and opt to park on the roadside instead.
“The site access allows for single-file traffic only, causing incoming traffic to wait on the Derrytrasna Road to allow egressing traffic to exit.
“Visibility splays are minimal and the safety issues with this are exacerbated by the speed of traffic on this road.
“Whilst the road has a 30mph speed limit, it is a long straight road and many vehicles do not adhere to the speed limit on the respective stretch of the road. The proposal intends to improve the respective issues of concern.”
Now approval, subject to a number of conditions, will allow the plans to proceed.
