Public consultation opens on new education campus in Fairwater

Members of the public are invited to share their views on works associated with the establishment of a new joint education campus to be located in the Fairwater area of the city.

The consultation marks the next stage in development for the pioneering education provision which, if progressed, will be the largest in scale and investment of Cardiff’s education developments delivered under Cardiff Council and Welsh Governments Band B Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme.

Three new build schools would be located on one site, becoming home to Cantonian High School, Riverbank School and Woodlands School. The joint campus would also boast a range of comprehensive facilities which will be available for public use outside of school hours.

In March 2022, Cardiff Council announced that ISG willundertake the detailed design and build process for the scheme,including the temporary accommodation associated with the works.

The Pre-ApplicationConsultation runs until 11July 2022 and allows people to have their say on the enabling works before a planning application is submitted to Cardiff Council’s Planning Committee. This includes the establishment of temporary school to be situated at the south of the site to comprise of;

• Demountable classrooms and reception, temporaryschool car park,sports hall,kitchen and canteen.
• Temporary footpath from Fairwater Road to Doyle Avenue
• Boundary fencing
• Sports pitches and Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs) and associated fencing and lighting

Deputy Leader of Cardiff Council, and Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry, said: “This public consultation is the next step in the development of Cardiff’s first joint educational campus and an exciting milestone for the futures of Cantonian, Woodlands and Riverbank Schools.

“The enabling works associated with the project and the establishment of temporary school buildings for Cantonian High School, are an integral part of the project which when complete will provide exceptional facilities, expertise and teaching opportunities for students, staff and the community.

“I encourage people to come forward and have their say to help shape the plans that will support the development of this pioneering campus which represents a significant investment in the Fairwater area and will ensure that the local community benefit from excellent, modern amenities.”

A public drop-in session will take place at Fairwater HubDoyle Avenue, CF5 3HU,on Wednesday 22nd June from 12 – 6pm

The Fairwater Campus is Cardiff’s trailblazing development setting the standard for future school projects as thefirst school campus to be operationally Net Zero Carbon, also targeting significant reduction in embodied carbon during the build stage of the project. This means the three schools will be highly energy efficient buildings that are powered from renewable energy sources, enabling Cardiff todeliver on its One Planet Strategy which outlines the city’s ambition tomitigate climate change.

Cllr Merry added: “Our first Net Zero Carbon school, this project supports our response to the climate change emergency and aligns with Cardiff’s One Planet vision to become Carbon Neutral by 2030.”

The Planning Application for the construction of the new campus is anticipated to be submitted in September 2022 and if progressed proposals would include;

• Replacing the Cantonian High School buildings with new build accommodation on the same site expanding the school from six forms of entry (6FE) to eight forms of entry (8FE) with sixth form provision for up to 250 pupils;
• Expanding the Specialist Resource Base (SRB) for learners with an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), hosted at Cantonian High School to 30 places in purpose built accommodation in the new school buildings;
• Relocating Woodlands School to the Fairwater Campus site from its current site adjacent to Trelai Park and increasing the capacity to 240 places in new build accommodation;
• Relocating Riverbank School to the Fairwater Campus site from its current site adjacent to Trelai Park, and increasing the capacity to 112 places in new build accommodation.

To view the proposals and to have your say visit: Cantonian High School, Fairwater Road, Cardiff / Ysgol Uwchradd Cantonian High School, Fairwater Road, Caerdydd (asbriplanning.co.uk)