£12.9 million primary school plans for Newtown go to councillors

The council is planning to build a new 270-place primary school in Newtown and has prepared a strategic outline case which will be considered by cabinet on Tuesday, December 15.

The investment plans will help the council deliver its Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys, an ambitious 10-year project that was approved earlier this year.

The new school will replace the current buildings of Hafren Junior School and Ladywell Green Infant School, which are merging to create a new all-through primary school.

The new school, Ysgol Calon y Dderwen, will open in September 2021.

The new build is also an integral part of the North Powys Wellbeing programme – a once in a generation opportunity to improve health and wellbeing across north Powys – which could see a multi-agency wellbeing campus developed alongside the new school, delivering a range of health and social care services together on one site.

World-class

Cabinet will be told that the funding required for the replacement school would be £12.9m, with 65 per cent of funding coming from the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools Programme. The remaining 35 per cent would be funded by the council.

If the case is approved, it will be submitted to the Welsh Government for their approval.

Councillor Phyl Davies, cabinet member for education, said: “The existing school buildings are not suitable to meet the needs of a 21st century curriculum or meet the well-being needs of pupils.

“As part of our Vision 2025, we are committed to providing world-class facilities. We believe that our plans for the new primary school in Newtown not only show this commitment but we will be providing facilities that the children deserve.

“If the strategic outline case is approved by both cabinet and Welsh Government, this would represent another huge investment in our school infrastructure.”