Pupils from Coed Glas Primary School in Llanishen have enjoyed a unique opportunity to visit the demolition site at the former HMRC office building at Tŷ Glas
Equipped with child size hard hats and hi-viz vests, around 120 children visited the site including pupils from Reception, Year five classes and the school’s Deaf and Hearing Loss Resource Base
Hosted by Erith, the demolition contractor chosen to undertake the works, the visit saw the children escorted to a safe zone where the children were given the opportunity to sit in the cab of a tipper truck and learn about the safety aspects of the vehicles. They also watched the high reach demolition process of Gleider House from a safe area and were able to ask senior project personnel, questions before being given a goodie bag. When asked what they thought of the visit, Reception pupils Jude and Theo exclaimed; “Its super-duper.”
Coed Glas Primary Headteacher, Sophie Notley, said: “The children have been fascinated with the demolition site and they loved their visit. One parent commented that it was her son’s favourite trip so far! Having local and relevant experiences for the children is really important. We are very grateful to Erith for the generous donation of Chromebooks which have made a real difference to the children in their classrooms.”
The visit is part of Erith’s social value commitments associated with the scheme worth around £200,000 investment. 22 Chromebooks and licences have been donated to Coed Glas and Erith are also looking to work with other local schools including Llanishen High School and Cardiff & Vale College.
Deputy Leader for Cardiff and Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry said: “Cardiff is committed to ensuring local communities benefit from opportunities and environmental improvements, delivered through social values associated with Council investment decisions and spending.
“The exciting work taking place at Tŷ Glas will enable local schools and other groups to access unique experiences and learning opportunities, which will positively impact on the lives of children and young people from the area. This supports Cardiff’s Child Friendly strategy and the city’s Stronger, Fairer, Greener priorities.”
Senior Contracts Manager, Scott Lardner, commented: “It was a pleasure having the children visit the site and engage in our industry as much as they did. The questions raised by the children were significant to changing times that we encounter, such as sustainability and recycling / reuse on demolition projects and the technologies available to us to carry out projects such as Ty Glas. It is encouraging to see an appetite for our industry from the next generation of construction workers.”
Work commenced on the demolition of the site in June 2023. Residents living near the site are being kept informed of developments and mitigation measures are in place to minimise the impact of the work on the local community.
The Council acquired the Tŷ Glas site in October 2021 to provide a clear site to bring forward strategic education proposals under the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. There are currently no specific plans for the site and any future proposals would be subject to community engagement as well as consultation via the planning process.
