School sites could solve Welshpool housing woes
Turning three of a town's school sites into housing developments could solve a social housing dilemma, it has been claimed.
Once Welshpool’s two new schools are open, three former school buildings school should become housing sites, says a councillor.
And Powys County Council’s housing department says it would be first in line to bag the sites if the scenario becomes reality.
At the Health Care and Housing Scrutiny Committee meeting on Wednesday, Welshpool’s Castle Ward county councillor, Phil Pritchard, independent, put the suggestion forward.
He believes it could solve the problem of the lack of land availability in Welshpool to build social housing.
The discussion was part of a wider meeting about how Powys Council now works with housing associations and how it decides who receives a house.
Councillor Pritchard said: “It’s very significant that in the next 12 months two new schools are being built.
“This means that there are three school buildings being made redundant.
“Ardwyn School is one of the best situations, it’s listed but it stands above the town and the Powis Castle estates, it has to be viable and we must keep it and look at it.
Development
“Particularly with the partnership we have with the housing associations, it has to be looked at.”
Councillor Pritchard went on to list the merits of both the Gungrog and Oldford school sites for housing development.
He said: “We need to look at these for the future as they are in our ownership, and it’s practical, let’s not lose the opportunity.
“We (Welshpool) have a bigger housing need and I put these right on the table for you.”
Simon Inkson, head of housing, replied: “We are well aware that there’s no available land in Welshpool for us to develop and we’d be first in the queue to acquire those sites if they become available for the development of new council houses.”
In Welshpool work is well underway to build a new school building on Salop Road for the new Church in Wales school.
And a consultation has just finished showing how the listed Maesydre School building will be reconfigured to be able to accommodate Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng, the new Welsh medium school for the town to move there.
The new building for Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng, which will accommodate 150 pupils, is expected to be open in September 2020
The Church in Wales Primary school building is expected to be open by September 2019.
Story by Local Democracy Reporter
Elgan Hearn
