Plans for a sixth form buildings, a gym, the demolition of four current buildings and a new car park at a Rhondda Cynon Taf school have been given the green light. The plans for Bryncelynnog Comprehensive School in Beddau were approved by RCT’s planning committee on Thursday, March 24.
Access from Penycoedcae Road will be upgraded so it is fit for purpose and 23 staff and student parking spaces with a storage area for 42 bikes are proposed. The existing caretaker’s building will be demolished and a replacement sports pitch will be provided because the sixth form block will lie on the edge of the current playing field.
The gym will be built on land in the centre of the site currently occupied by two of the school’s six tennis courts. The demolition of the more modern building to the rear of the Grade II-listed block two will enable the creation of a communal area for students to gather, the planning report said. You can keep up to date with news from across Pontypridd by signing up to our dedicated newsletter here.
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There will be an extension to the southern car park with a two-storey building demolished and the eastern car park will be reshaped to create 13 bus bays and some staff parking. The top half of the car park will be kept for general parking and parent drop-off. Access from Penycoedcae Road, not including the sixth form access, will be kept in the same location but one road will need to be widened. There were four letters of objection that raised concerns over the visual impact, traffic, ecology, environmental and sustainability issues and consultation.
Public raises concern over traffic
Public speaker Cathy Lisles said: “I wish to note that the planning officer feels that the bus marshalling that is to be put in place will be adequate to ensure safety, however, as I am sure you are aware, there have been a number of issues reported in the media across south Wales on school sites which have experienced difficulties with their drop-off zones. Perhaps a site visit should take place to consider how this might work in practice before giving your approval?”
Ms Lisles said the transport assessment is missing a paragraph detailing where the additional four buses will be travelling from, appearing to imply they would be from the same areas as the current nine buses. She said the new Bryncelynnog sixth form ‘catchment’ area will encompass the whole of the Pontypridd valley, entailing young people travelling from all parts of the valley, including Cilfynydd, Glyncoch and Ynysybwyl.
“This has either not been communicated to the authors of the assessment or has been overlooked by them in their calculations which are only based on the postcode data derived from current students and parents, meaning that the Safe Routes to School assessment and transport assessment fail to take into consideration the travel requirements and choices of young people travelling from up to five miles away who may wish to be driven to the sixth form, or, at 17 years of age, drive themselves. The data is also out of date, even though the assessment was published in December 2021, it relies on data from 2016.”
She also pointed to the statement that the change in mode-split will create a decrease in the number of proposed vehicular trips of 22% and that this figure is then used in all further calculations of the transport assessment, ultimately leading to the statement in the assessment that “the proposed development represents a net decrease of two vehicular trips … during the AM peak hour compared to the existing situation which is a direct result of the positive mode-shift towards school bus travel”. Ms Lisles said: “This is incorrect. The data being described is in relation to the journeys of the existing children aged 11-16 at the school. Their journeys will stay the same.
“The four coach-loads of sixth form students from the rest of the Pontypridd valley represent an addition to these journeys. Yes, the overall percentage of children and young people arriving by bus will increase, but, as the overall number of children and young people at the school is increasing, this is only to be expected.” She said the transport assessment does not include a 15% tolerance factor for those who would be entitled to travel by bus choosing to travel by car.
She said the planning officer notes the trip figures for Castelllau Road appear to be low, presumably not factoring in the increased number of cars travelling to the staff car park. She added: “The Pencoedcae Road junction is already expected to have capacity issues. If the trip analysis was more accurate, the situation in both these locations could be actually far worse than shown.
“The assessment was written for the council, presumably someone in the 21 st Century Schools planning team has read it and signed off on it. The planning officer has also read it and is telling you that ‘on balance the TA (transport assessment) is considered to provide a reasonable indication of trip generation", with Miss Lisles describing this assertion as incorrect.
“The buck stops with you. Accepting this planning development as it is does a disservice to the local community and your fellow councillor who is unable to vote on this decision. It will potentially put them in the position of having to defend the traffic chaos that ensues for years to come. Are you confident that all the calculations in the transport assessment have been made correctly and all factors considered so that the impact on the community has been appropriately assessed and can truly be stated to be negligible with no requirement for any further ameliorations to be put in place?
“If not, please put a stop on this plan until a new transport assessment has been completed which is based on more relevant and accurate data so that any and all potential traffic issues can be identified and dealt with.”
The recommendation from planning officers which committee members agreed with
Planning officers recommended approval and said in the planning report: “The development would result in contemporary, fit-for-purpose sixth form provision, as part of the council’s 21st Century Schools Programme, together with modern and updated gym and sporting facilities to benefit all
student groups. In addition, the site landscaping scheme and removal of redundant structures would greatly enhance the environment in and around the school, whilst the revisions to parking and school bus bays would improve traffic management both within the site and on the local road network.
“It is considered the proposal would improve the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area. In particular the demolition of the identified unused and unattractive buildings will enhance the setting of the listed structure and improve the outlook for residential properties closest to the school campus. In addition, the submitted detail has demonstrated that access and travel to the site is acceptable and would not be detrimental to highway safety.”
The views of councillors
Local councillor Richard Yeo said he’s happy with the “comprehensive nature” of the transport assessment. He said he’s not had any complaints about the proposals which he said he thinks are “really good”.
Cllr Yeo said he’s “really pleased to see investment coming to this part of the county borough" as it’s something that local residents actually do want and do appreciate. “They like to see investment coming into their schools as well.”
He said the school has managed things like this in the past and he’s convinced they’ll manage them again. Member of the planning committee Councillor Ross Williams said he has every confidence in officers.
Fellow planning committee members Councillor Julie Barton said she’s not opposed to it and said the plans are fantastic but raised concerns about the safety of pupils and parents of Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Castellau. Councillor Sharon Rees, the chair of the committee, pointed out that there is a condition in place and any action that’s required can be taken.
