The first school at Plasdŵr is expected to open in September 2023.
After experiencing some delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing restrictions, the Plasdŵr development team has been working closely with Cardiff Council on the specification and have submitted for approval the planning application for the construction of the first primary school at Cardiff’s ‘garden city for the 21st century’.
The new school is located in Plasdŵr’s Groeswen neighbourhood to the north of the development near Danescourt and Radyr. Plasdŵr’s district centre will also be located in this neighbourhood, making it a vibrant central hub that draws visitors from across Plasdŵr and Cardiff.
Children at the new school will have the option of learning in Welsh or English. Entry will be dual stream, with one form offering Welsh-medium education and the other offering English-medium places with significant use of Welsh. The school will also provide 96 part-time nursery places, half Welsh-medium and half English-medium, again with significant use of Welsh.
It will serve the early phases of the Plasdŵr development, spanning parts of Creigiau, St Fagans, Radyr, Morganstown and Fairwater.
Applications for school admissions at the school will open in autumn 2022 for Nursery and Reception, with the school admitting its first pupils in September 2023. Pupils in school Years 1 and 2 will also have the opportunity to apply to the school to start from the summer term 2023.
The masterplan for Plasdŵr includes a further three new primary schools and one secondary school, to be delivered as the development takes shape. 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 within phases. Up to 7,000 homes will be built at the site bordering Radyr, Fairwater, Pentrebane and St Fagans. Around 40% of Plasdŵr will be green space, including managed heritage woodland, parks and play areas.
Global consultancy Mott MacDonald will work closely with Plasdŵr and Cardiff Council and lead the delivery of the new school.
Wayne Rees, Project Director of Plasdŵr, said:
“We’re pleased to have submitted plans for the primary school. We’ve been working closely with Cardiff Council and our consultants, Mott MacDonald, to deliver a state-of-the-art primary school for children living at Plasdŵr and in the surrounding communities and will continue to work closely together throughout the project.
“The delivery of the first primary school is a significant milestone in the development of Plasdŵr. Eventually, thousands of local children will have access to high-quality education a short walk or cycle from their home at Plasdŵr or its surrounding areas.”
Work on the new school is expected to begin in summer 2022. For more information on the wider development of Plasdŵr, head to www.plasdwr.co.uk.
