Planning has been approved for a new ‘state-of-the-art’ Plasdŵr primary school – it will be the first to be built in Cardiff’s garden city development
Proposed plans for the Plasdŵr primary school feature two floors to accommodate nursery, reception and infant classrooms on the ground floor, and junior classrooms on the first floor.
Contemporary architecture and colours
Contemporary architecture and colours will feature in the design and the façade will ensure the building is easily recognisable as a hub within the community.
The new school is located in Plasdŵr’s Groeswen neighbourhood to the north of the development near Danescourt and Radyr.
A total of 420 student places will be created, along with 73 jobs.
Half Welsh-medium and half English-medium education
The school will be dual stream, with one form offering Welsh-medium education and the other offering English with significant use of Welsh – parents will apply for their preferred option during the application process.
96 part-time nursery places will also be provided – half Welsh-medium and half English-medium with significant use of Welsh
The school is expected to open and admit its first pupils in September 2023.
Applications will open in November 2022 for Reception and January 2023 for Nursery. Students in school years 1 and 2 will have the opportunity to apply from April 2023 to start from September 2023.
‘Designed in keeping with the character of the Groeswen neighbourhood’
Wayne Rees, project director of Plasdŵr, said: “We’re delighted to have received planning approval to begin work on Plasdŵr’s first primary school.
“This is an important milestone in the development of Cardiff’s garden city, and although we’ve experienced some delays due to the pandemic, all being well we’re looking forward to starting work on its delivery this summer.
“This school will provide much-needed places for children living at Plasdŵr, as well as its neighbouring communities.
“It has been designed in keeping with the character of the Groeswen neighbourhood, and follows the same garden city movement principles of “fresh air, sunlight, breathing room and playing room” that the Plasdŵr was inspired by, with plenty of green space and outdoor facilities for children to enjoy.
“We are now moving to finalise discussions with Cardiff Council, with more detail to be announced on the specification as discussions progress.
“We’re looking forward to working with the Council on this project, but most importantly we are pleased to be creating a school which will give local children access to high quality education on their doorstep for generations to come.”
Cardiff’s Local Development Plan – Plasdŵr is the largest “strategic site”
Plasdŵr is identified in Cardiff’s Local Development Plan as the largest “strategic site” which will deliver new homes, district and local shopping centres and community infrastructure.
Up to 7,000 homes will be built at the site bordering Radyr, Fairwater, Pentrebane and St Fagans and around 40% of Plasdŵr will be green space, including managed heritage woodland, parks and play areas.
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “This is an exciting milestone for the Plasdŵr development, helping Cardiff to deliver its commitment to providing modern, well-equipped learning environments which help improve the lives of children and young people in the community.
“Serving the early phases of the Plasdŵr development and spanning parts of Creigiau, St Fagans, Radyr, Morganstown and Fairwater, the new school will provide amenities accessible to the community during out of school hours.
“It will also present new and exciting opportunities in how the Welsh language is taught to pupils in an English-medium school, delivering an innovative variation on the traditional dual-stream primary school provision and supporting aspirations to grow the Welsh language that Cardiff has set out in its bilingual strategy.”
