Hotel Ballyfornia

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Wasn't quite sure where to put this thread but as it relates to Current Affairs here we are.

Two problems: We have too many kids in temporary portakabin classrooms in crumbling schools.

The other problem is that we have a surfeit of dozy hotels built as an investment to take advantage of a tax break. We seem to have new hotels everywhere, many struggling or on the way to going bust.

Any hotel that is put into receivership or subject to a whinge from developers should be taken over by the state where the property is suitable for easy conversion to a school.

If you think about it hotels have to be built with health and safety in mind and too many are now standing empty while kids are facing into a winter of portakabin classrooms.

I wonder how many towns and cities in Ireland would benefit from converting these white elephant hotels into schools? Shouldn't be that hard to convert quickly (knocking through bedrooms to make classrooms) and the average hotel set up with lend itself very well to easy conversion and would provide work for desperate tradesmen as well.

Mad idea or workable?

[greengoose2]

Any good ideas will be shot down because the tend to make the "experts" look like the idiots that they are. You will be accused of being a mad Sinn Feiner...

But yes, it seems to be a sterling idea but the moron who runs the department of education has other agendas as indeed do some of his colleagues.

[doubleglaze]

Certainly worth consideration.

The main problem might be that the hotel rooms are too small to be convertible into decent sized classrooms, but a builder or an engineer would know more about that than I.

[kimble]

Wasn't quite sure where to put this thread but as it relates to Current Affairs here we are.

Two problems: We have too many kids in temporary portakabin classrooms in crumbling schools.

The other problem is that we have a surfeit of dozy hotels built as an investment to take advantage of a tax break. We seem to have new hotels everywhere, many struggling or on the way to going bust.

Any hotel that is put into receivership or subject to a whinge from developers should be taken over by the state where the property is suitable for easy conversion to a school.

If you think about it hotels have to be built with health and safety in mind and too many are now standing empty while kids are facing into a winter of portakabin classrooms.

I wonder how many towns and cities in Ireland would benefit from converting these white elephant hotels into schools? Shouldn't be that hard to convert quickly (knocking through bedrooms to make classrooms) and the average hotel set up with lend itself very well to easy conversion and would provide work for desperate tradesmen as well.

Mad idea or workable?

Could be done....Here in Portlaoise 10 new Prefabs have been in stalled in the local school at the expense of 500 K. The Parish had offered to put up the funds for 2 new schools and the redevelopment of one old school but for some strange reason the Minister for Education knocked back this idea...Some people believe he did this just out of spite because the Parish Priest was basically telling him how to do his job.

Conicindently..its not so long a go they turned an old hotel here in Laois..The MONTAGUE into a place to houses Asylum seekers...If they can do that....why not a school??

[HanleyS]

If the price is right, and the building is suitable, then why not.

[cactusflower]

School, retirement and convalescent homes.

It would cost to adapt, but nice to have schools with spas and indoor pools.

[kimble]

School, retirement and convalescent homes.

It would cost to adapt, but nice to have schools with spas and indoor pools.

Schools with SPAS?? there were plenty of spas in my school i think i was one of then

[greengoose2]

Schools with SPAS?? there were plenty of spas in my school i think i was one of then

That is pathetic! Not funny despite your smileys.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

If the price is right, and the building is suitable, then why not.

Thats the thing- right now the price to the state for grabbing a whole load of new and unused properties of the right size for a school will never be better.

It wouldn't take much to knock through three bedrooms to make one classroom and hotels usually have a reception area and offices hidden away as well.

It would provide work in the conversions as well for the tradesmen and labourers etc and the kids would come out of it with a better school than a Portakabin anyway.

AND we could save millions by cancelling the Fianna Fail supplier's Portakabin contract.

[reknaw]

What a preposterous idea! It will never be implemented, because it makes way too much sense.