Construction contract signed for £375million Strule Shared Education Campus

The Department of Education has awarded the construction contract for the Strule Shared Education Campus to Woodvale Lowry Joint Venture Limited.

Ian Lowry, Woodvale-Lowry JV Limited, Ivor Sampson, Woodvale-Lowry JV Limited and Mark Browne, Department of Education Permanent Secretary signing the contract for the Strule Shared Education Campus.

The local company will deliver the £375million shared education facility on the site of the former Lisanelly Army Barracks in Omagh. Construction will start later this year and the new campus will open in September 2028.

Commenting on the contract award, Education Minister Paul Givan said:

“This is a momentous day for the Strule Programme. Any uncertainty is now over and I am delighted to deliver on this huge investment for the young people of Omagh. Strule will be the largest education construction project ever delivered in Northern Ireland and will bring a huge boost to the local economy. It represents a massive capital investment in the west of Northern Ireland and will stimulate further development and regeneration of the region.”

The Strule campus is a pioneering project that will provide a state-of-the-art shared centre of learning. It will bring together six schools from across the community and incorporate grammar, secondary and special school provision. Over 4,000 children and young people from all backgrounds, will come together on a vibrant and dynamic campus. The schools will work together to provide a shared curriculum and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

The Minister continued:

“I am delighted we have reached this key milestone in the delivery of this iconic and unique shared education campus. The Strule project will be an education campus of world and international renown and a flagship for the shared society we are aiming to develop.”

Notes to editors: 

1. The Strule Shared Education Campus Programme will provide six core schools (five post-primary and one special school) and associated shared education facilities on a 125 acre site in Omagh, to cater for the needs of more than 4,000 pupils.
2. The six schools are drawn from the controlled, special school, Catholic maintained and voluntary grammar sectors.
3. The schools involved are Arvalee School and Resource Centre, Christian Brothers Grammar School, Loreto Grammar School, Omagh Academy Grammar School, Omagh High School, and Sacred Heart College.
4. Arvalee Special School has already been constructed on the Strule site.The Strule Main Works Contract and includes five school buildings, a shared sports centre, shared education centre, a sports pavilion and associated synthetic pitches, infrastructure and site development works. Shared facilities for sports and teaching are central to the campus.
5. Follow us on Twitter @education_NI(external link opens in a new window / tab).

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