Work has started on a new primary school at the £1bn Glan Llyn development at the former Llanwern steelworks site in Newport.

It is being delivered for Newport City Council by St Modwen, the land owner and lead developer at Glan Llyn, as part of a diverse range of long-term community facilities planned for the site.

When it opens in September 2018, the school will accommodate 420 pupils, from the Glan Llyn catchment area, as well as providing nursery facilities for younger children.

James Wilson, residential land director for St Modwen, said: “Glan Llyn is a 600-acre mixed-use site which, when it completes in the next 20 years, will provide around 4,000 new homes and up to 2,000 new jobs at the site’s Celtic Business Park, all set within 80 acres of picturesque open parkland. This new primary school is the first of several important community facilities planned for the development alongside a library, surgery, police station, shops and leisure facilities.”

Cllr Gail Giles, cabinet member for education and skills at Newport City Council, said: “The start of work to build this new primary school, with its high-quality learning environment, is an exciting and important development for this new community.”

Cllr Debbie Wilcox, Newport City Council leader, said: “Glan Llyn represents a major part of the regeneration of Newport, but it’s not just about building much needed homes. It is so important that the area has excellent facilities for all residents and this new school will sit at its heart.”

Applications for places at the new school will begin in November this year, with the school gates officially opening in September 2018.