More details have been revealed about plans for a new school for pupils with additional learning needs on the site of a former council HQ in the Rhondda. A planning application has been submitted by Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council for the new English medium 3 to 19 ALN school on the site of the council’s former headquarters in Clydach Vale and the previous buildings have now been demolished.
The school would provide education for pupils with a range of Additional Learning Needs (ALN) including autistic spectrum disorders, severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and sensory impairment. The school would accommodate up to 176 pupils and have 113 full-time equivalent staff, as well as other visiting staff.
The new school building would be located centrally on the site with age appropriate outdoor play and learning areas around the building. The proposed parking, which would be made up of 79 spaces, would be located in the east of the site and directly served from the existing access. To get all the latest Rhondda news straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
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An existing public highway access route would be kept for school use only and the existing woodland area and trees located around the boundary of the site would be kept as is the SINC (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation) habitat located on the western edge of the site. The proposals also include a sustainable drainage design and a series of works to accommodate and support the main building.
The planning statement submitted with the application said: “The principle of developing the proposed education use at the former council premises in Clydach Vale is considered sound on planning policy grounds. While the site is located outside of the settlement boundary, it is previously developed land and will provide a much-needed education use that will meet the needs of both current and future generations.”
It said that the proposed school would be largely reliant on the use of private vehicles as the facility would not only serve a local catchment but be a “key county borough educational asset” with teachers and pupils arriving from across the area. But it said that the principles for maximising sustainable travel had been established in the application, with opportunities for car sharing, organised school transport and active travel infrastructure.
The planning statement added that the building would also be sustainable and in accordance with net zero carbon principles.