Naomi Long MP said: “I welcome the news about funding for the building project at Strathearn Grammar School. This is very positive and I am pleased that they will be able proceed with this work.
“I am, however, incredibly disappointed that Victoria Park Primary is not on this list. This school was created with the amalgamation of Sydenham Infants, Strand Primary and Mersey Street Primary Schools and has had to accommodate additional pupils due to the proposed closure of Beechfield Primary. The pressure on the school is becoming unacceptable and they need funding for a new building urgently. Sydenham Infants School has been demolished on the site where the new building is to be located and this would have been the perfect time for Victoria Park PS to have been given the go ahead. They have been promised this project for so long and they desperately need it to be approved quickly.
“I have sought a meeting with the Minister to address this and other education issues in East Belfast.”
Chris Lyttle MLA said: “While I welcome the funding for Strathearn Grammar I remain very concerned that other schools in East Belfast which have been on the waiting list for new buildings for a long time have not received the news they want to hear.
“We really need to see Strandtown Primary and Victoria Park Primary getting the green light for their school building projects because it’s vital that they get the new facilities they need as a matter of urgency. I am deeply disappointed that these schools have not been awarded the funding they need in this announcement.”
ENDS