Main works construction contract signed for the Strule Shared Education Campus
We are delighted to share that the Department of Education has awarded the Strule Shared Education Campus construction contract to Woodvale Lowry Joint Venture Ltd.
The Strule Shared Education Campus Programme will deliver five post-primary school buildings for the Christian Brothers Grammar School, Loreto Grammar School, Omagh Academy Grammar School, Omagh High School, and Sacred Heart College and includes a shared sports centre, shared education centre, a sports pavilion and associated synthetic pitched infrastructure and site development works. The works are located on the 125-acre former Lisanelly Army Barracks site, where Woodvale Construction Company Ltd completed the new Arvalee School and Resource Centre in 2016.
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 Shared Education Campus, which is expected to cost £375m overall, is the largest shared education campus in Northern Ireland, will provide a state-of-the-art shared learning centre for over 4000 North West pupils. In addition, The project will regenerate the local area, providing supply, subcontract, and employment opportunities to deliver social value.
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.”
Ivor Sampson, WLJV Director, welcomed the news on behalf of the Woodvale Lowry Joint Venture Ltd. “As local contractors, we are delighted with the contract award. We have close relationships with all the school communities and understand the urgent need to provide a conducive learning environment for our children, community and future generations.”
Construction will start later this year, and the new campus will open in September 2028.
Pictured signing the contract are (from left) Ian Lowry, WLJV Director; Ivor Sampson, WLJV Director; and Mark Browne, Department of Education Permanent Secretary