An artist’s impression of the new school

Work will begin next week on the first phase of a £70m project to build the new Ballycastle Shared Education Campus in Northern Ireland.

The Department of Education has appointed Heron Bros contractors to build the modern, state-of-the-art facility, which will be shared between Ballycastle High School and Cross and Passion College and will be funded primarily through Fresh Start funding for Shared and Integrated Education.

The new campus will accommodate approximately 1,200 pupils from both schools and will be constructed on the existing school sites.

The first phase of construction work will see the creation of a hockey pitch, multi-use games area, and main school building (MUGA).

The work is expected to take two years and will be followed by the construction of a sports building, with completion of all works expected by the summer of 2027.

The main campus building and sports hall will be located on the current Ballycastle High School site, while the Cross and Passion site will accommodate outdoor sports facilities and a changing pavilion.

Samuel Stevenson & Sons has provided design consultancy for the project.