Public consultation opens on plans for new Welsh-medium school
Nation.Cymru staff
Residents are being invited to comment on plans for a new Welsh-medium primary school as a statutory consultation gets underway ahead of a planning application.
Bridgend County Borough Council has launched a six-week pre-application consultation on proposals for the new Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Ogwr, which would be built on land north of the Princess Way roundabout in Brackla.
The proposed development includes a new primary school, sports pitches, floodlighting, parking, drainage works, landscaping and associated engineering works.
The consultation opened on 17 July and will run until 28 August, with the council extending the usual 28-day consultation period to six weeks to allow more time for people to respond during the summer holidays.
Residents, parents and other interested parties can view the plans online and submit comments before a formal planning application is lodged.
The consultation marks the latest stage in a project that has already faced significant delays after protected reptiles were discovered on the proposed site.
The new school had originally been due to open in September 2025, but Bridgend County Borough Council announced last month that the opening had been pushed back until at least September 2027 while common lizards and slow worms are relocated in line with ecological regulations.
The reptiles, which are protected under UK wildlife legislation, are being moved to a specially prepared site in the Ogmore Valley. The council has previously described translocation as a “last resort” and said the delay had allowed it to minimise the number of animals needing to be moved.
The new school is planned for a larger site at Ffordd Cadfan in Brackla and is expected to provide 525 primary school places alongside a 90-place nursery. The project was originally estimated to cost around £18.6 million, although no revised cost has been announced since the delay.
To help accommodate growing pupil numbers in the meantime, two temporary classrooms have been installed at the existing school, while a £1.1 million Welsh Government grant is supporting the delivery of a co-located Welsh-medium childcare facility.
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