New Welsh-medium secondary school building set to be built

Anthony Lewis, Local democracy reporter

A new Welsh-medium secondary school building is set to be built in Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT).

The plan for a replacement secondary school and sixth form on the site of the existing Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda near Porth was approved by the council’s planning committee on Thursday, March 19.

It will accommodate up to 750 pupils aged 11-16 as well as a sixth form for around 150 students.

The building will be where the current sports hall and Redgra pitch is and this has been chosen to allow a phased construction programme so the existing school can remain in use while a new building is created and the older buildings are removed in stages.

The plans include new tree, shrub, and hedgerow planting, a network of pedestrian routes, outdoor classrooms, and enhanced sports facilities.

These include two multi-use games areas and an all-weather synthetic pitch.

There would be 92 car parking spaces with accessible bays and electric vehicle charging points as well as eight bus bays and parking for bicycles.

There were two letters of objection which said that parents used the lane at the back of properties as a shortcut and making the school bigger would cause more of a problem and vehicles already had obstructed access to properties.

They questioned the priority for spending money on Welsh-medium education instead of, for example, repairing highways, and said the height and location of the proposed main building would adversely affect the natural light and outlook for local residents, particularly those below in High Street.

They said the proposal showed a section of unused land labelled and said building on this land to accommodate some classrooms and facilities could enable the height of the proposed main building to be lower.

They said the introduction of more than 100 trees would also restrict the natural light for local residents and would attract a significant presence of vermin, birds, and other wildlife creating a “significant nuisance for residents”.

They said the proposed trees could create other public health and safety problems and except for the removal of a few trees the proposal did not include any changes to the wasteland situated between the existing footpath and the rear of the houses of 131 to 149 High Street, Cymer.

They said the residents of these houses were prevented from any rear access to their properties because of this wasteland and that parking was a significant problem for most of the residents in the locality, adding that the plans would be enhanced if this wasteland was cleared and a lane created to provide vehicular access for residents.

In recommending approval, planning officers said: “The proposed development would deliver a modern and sustainably-located school that will strengthen local education provision and provide lasting community and recreational benefits.

“The design responds to the context of the site topography and, with mitigation measures secured to protect residential amenity and noise quality, would be an appropriate neighbouring land use.

“Vehicular access, on‑site parking, and bus capacity, together with a travel plan, would ensure the scheme’s transport impacts are acceptable whilst ecological mitigation and biodiversity enhancements will secure a net biodiversity benefit.”

Responding to the objections the report said it was the responsibility of the school to implement a traffic/transport plan and matters of access and parking had been considered acceptable by the council’s highways and transportation section.

It added that obstruction of the highway would be for the police to address.

The report also said any priorities and decisions regarding investment strategies were not relevant to planning.

It added it was not considered that the number of trees, or their location, would be so significant as to affect the amenity of neighbours and that developments are expected to demonstrate a net biodiversity benefit in the interest of the natural environment, as well as the human population, which was what the proposal had been assessed as being capable of by the council’s ecologist.

It said if the soft landscaping were able to attract wildlife then that would be considered as a positive impact.

The report said it was appreciated residents would welcome the opportunity for an access lane to be created to the rear of some High Street properties within the curtilage of the school site to help manage access and parking issues but such a proposal was not part of the application under consideration.