Two major new school developments have received planning permission in Bridgend County Borough.
The council’s Development Control committee has approved plans for a Welsh-medium seedling school in Porthcawl, and a new primary school in Kenfig Hill.
The seedling school is to be provided on land alongside the existing Porthcawl Primary School. Featuring 60 places for nursery and reception-age children as well as childcare facilities for children aged up to two, it will cater for pupils before they enter year one at Ysgol Y Ferch o’r Sger in North Cornelly.
In addition to providing the seedling school with outdoor play areas, a new school building and a staff and visitor car park, the project will also create two new all-weather sports pitches which will be used by Porthcawl Primary.
The school will feature a net-zero design incorporating technology such as air-source heat pumps and solar roofing panels, and will include various biodiversity enhancements such as native planting, wildflower areas, bat and bird boxes, sustainable drainage features and more.
As part of the works, traffic calming measures and pedestrian safety improvements will be introduced along Pant Morfa and Meadow Lane, and plans are being developed to manage travel and arrangements for dropping-off / picking-up pupils.
In Kenfig Hill, permission has been granted for the construction of all-new premises for Mynydd Cynnfig Primary School as part of a project that is also providing the Pwllygath Allotments Association with an all-new 26-plot site.
Capable of supporting up to 420 local children while offering an additional 75-place nursery, the new premises will mean that pupils will no longer need to be taught within temporary classrooms, and will also fully resolve the school’s former split-site status.
In addition to modern educational facilities and new infrastructure, the project will also provide two all-weather sports pitches, new play areas and open space, a staff and visitor car park, highway upgrades, active travel improvements, raised crossings, community facilities, new landscaping and more.
Featuring a sustainable, energy-efficient design, the construction of the new school will include solar panels and low-carbon technology, ecological mitigation works and various biodiversity enhancements.
Meanwhile, the new allotment site will feature high-quality soil guaranteed to meet specific standards, security fencing, improved access to plots, space for parking and a replacement pigeon loft. Each of the 26 plots will feature a hardstanding space complete with a new shed, a water butt and new timber fencing with gated access.
Councillor Martyn Jones, Cabinet Member for Education and Young People, said: “These important new school facilities form an important part of our ongoing commitment towards the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme, and we are delivering them as part of our efforts to provide local children with high-quality educational opportunities that will equip and help prepare them for adult life.
“Both the new Porthcawl Welsh-medium seedling school and the replacement premises for Mynydd Cynnfig Primary School represent a multi-million pound investment into local education. In years to come, they are going to be of huge benefit for generations of pupils, and I am looking forward to seeing the new schools take shape.”
