23rd January 2023

A revised business case to construct a replacement building for a north Powys all-through school has been approved by the Welsh Government, the county council has announced.Powys County Council has been working on plans to build a new school for Ysgol Bro Hyddgen since 2017, but the project faced an unforeseen delay due to the collapse of the main contractor, Dawnus Construction Ltd.A new Strategic Outline Case/Outline Business Case was prepared by the council for a new 540-place all-age school at Ysgol Bro Hyddgen’s secondary school site to replace the current primary and secondary school buildings.When built, the replacement building will incorporate early years facilities, areas for primary, secondary and post-16 education, a community room, an additional learning needs centre, wellbeing areas as well as external areas and a 3G pitch. The design could also include a space for a public library if required. This would be subject to public engagement which will take place in February.

The building will have excellent environmental credentials and will be the council’s first all-through school Passivhaus building, with the aim of achieving Net Zero in operation and with a target of <800kg/CO2m2 of embodied carbon, and it is expected that the new school will be open to pupils in 2026.Cllr Pete Roberts, Cabinet Member for a Learning Powys, said: “I’m delighted that the Welsh Government have approved our plans for a replacement building for Ysgol Bro Hyddgen.

“We believe that the preferred option will provide excellent education facilities for the next generation of learners. This option remains affordable within the current available funding envelope and protects the planned investment in other school sites elsewhere in the county.”