Parents stage protest over ‘loss of green space’ for pupils
PRIMARY school parents in Cardiff yesterday held a protest – as latest plans for the new Fitzalan High development showed their school would lose its acre-wide green area.
Cardiff Council promised it is “developing proposals” to enhance alternative outside areas for Welsh-medium primary Ysgol Pwll Coch, which will neighbour the new Fitzalan High.
The grassy area, or “cae”, has been shut off for the past 18-months – with council bosses claiming it has been contaminated by waste.
Drawings for the pre-planning application consultation period now show the £64m Fitzalan rebuild includes a car park to the side of the new school building, while Ysgol Pwll Coch’s cae would be flattened to make way for all-weather and grass sports pitches for the new high school development.
Earlier plans showed the car park would be built on the cae, a grass area with mature trees and hedges used for “forest school” land at playtime, but this has now changed.
Parents claimed earlier this week that the reasons Cardiff Council gave for shutting the cae on grounds of soil contamination were a “smokescreen” for earmarking the area for the Fitzalan development from the start.
A soil report, obtained under Freedom of Information showed no risk, although the council disputes this.
Ysgol Pwll Coch parents and children protested with banners yesterday outside Canton Library, where the plans are on show.
Dr Siwan Seaman, whose children Ela, seven, and Greta, three, are pupils, said the council had not shared any information as promised: “I have totally lost trust in the council. Having being told last January we would be active stakeholders in the planning process, there has been a complete refusal to engage with us.”
Fellow parent Helen Raynor said building over the cae went against Cardiff Council and Welsh Government policy to promote green spaces.
She added: “We are still losing a green field next to our school with trees and hedges. The cae is a wild space for children. Under these plans they will be looking out on to sports areas which don’t belong to them.
“In terms of so called improvements – we have been offered nothing in way of conversation about this. The space we are looking at is smaller with no trees or hedges. We are being sold short. They are annexing a green space at the same time as saying they want to promote green space for children.”
A Cardiff Council spokeswoman said: “If proposals are progressed, the local community including Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Coch will benefit from improved access to a range of exciting sports facilities.
“The council is also developing proposals for a host of improvements to Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Coch, including a new forest school, raised beds for growing, a new landscaped outdoor area and improved fencing to enhance privacy. The newly proposed area presents the school with an improved flat, usable and quality outdoor space.
“The proposals clearly show that there is no intention to use the cae as a car park. The land is contaminated with objects that are a health and safety concern and remains off-limits and the extensive work required to bring this area of land back into use would be covered by project funds associated with the Fitzalan High School project.”
Members of the public are being invited to share their views about the plans. If agreed, the existing Fitzalan High building in Lawrenny Avenue will be replaced with a new-build school on land next to the Leckwith Stadium, as seen in previous plans.
The 10 form entry secondary would accommodate up to 1,500 students aged 11-16, plus a sixth form.
Latest plans show it will also offer sports facilities, including a multi-use games area, 3G pitches and a replacement indoor swimming pool.
These, and other facilities at the school, will be available for public use outside school hours, the council pledged.
In July the council announced that Kier had been awarded the contract to design the new home for Fitzalan.
It is the latest scheme to be delivered jointly by Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government under Band B, 21 st Century Schools and Education Programme. If proposals are agreed, work will be completed in the 2022-23 academic year.
The statutory pre-planning consultation for the proposed new Fitzalan High School runs until November 1. Members of the public will be able to respond.
The four-week consultation period will include a drop-in session from 5.30pm-7pm on Wednesday inside Cardiff International Sports Stadium.