The £350 million Strule Shared Education Campus in Omagh has reached a significant construction milestone, with more than 40 percent of the project now complete and the school buildings past the halfway point.

A peak workforce of approximately 1,000 workers is now on site, providing a substantial boost to the local economy. Education Minister Paul Givan recently visited to mark the end of the initial construction phase of what is the largest educational development ever undertaken in Northern Ireland.

When finished in September 2028, the campus will bring together almost 3,800 pupils from five post-primary schools: Omagh CBS, Omagh Academy, Sacred Heart College, Loreto Grammar School, and Omagh High School. Arvalee School and Resource Centre has been operating on the site for more than a decade.

Infrastructure works are also progressing, including a new four-lane link road between the Old Mountfield Road and Mountjoy Avenue junction and the Gortin Road and Strathroy Road.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council recently passed a motion calling for bilingual Irish and English signage in shared areas. There have also been renewed calls to address the provision of Gaelic games facilities on the campus.

Meanwhile, parking difficulties outside another Omagh school remain unresolved. At St Conor’s Primary School, an inter-agency meeting last December involving the school, council, and government departments considered developing nearby land as a dedicated car park.

However, a council director told the environmental services committee this month that a staff absence at the Department of Education had slowed progress. No planning application has been submitted, and there is currently no budget to advance the work.

Local councillor Marty McColgan said concerned parents and residents had contacted him about the ongoing congestion. The school has previously encouraged responsible parking and liaised with the Department for Infrastructure over road markings, but a solution is not expected before the new school year in September.