A SCHOOL IN Blackwood has had a planning application for a new multi-use games area and wellbeing centre approved.
Islwyn High School, on Waterloo in Oakdale, a village in Blackwood, submitted the application to Caerphilly Council on Friday, September 22, 2023 to build a replacement games area on grasslands associated with the school.
The council's planning committee granted the application permission on Monday, March 18, after receiving all the relevant documentation and reports from the applicant, and comments from those consulted, including the Coal Authority, Dwr Cmyru, Natural Resources Wales and the council's Rights of Way officer.
The council made the decision to approve the development, but have included a number of constraints and advisory notices with the approval in order to ensure that the development does not cause any concerns raised by the consultees.
The constraints are that the development should begin within five years of the permission being granted, it will be done in accordance with the submitted documents, no work is to be carried out until an investigation into coal mining risks and land instability.
They also ask for a landscaping scheme to be submitted before any surfacing or slab levels are laid, as well as a list of equipment used, relevant to both the games area and wellbeing centre, to ensure the development is carried out in an approved manner for the council's policies.
The council has said that the wellbeing centre must only be used for reasons "incidental" to the school and "for no other purpose".
In connection with this, it has been said that the games area will be open to the public for use at all times other than between the hours of 7.30am and 4.30pm on a school day.
It is expected that work on the development will begin in the next few months.
Schools and Education Awards 2024
Iswlyn High School could be up for an honour at the South Wales Schools and Education Awards in June, with nominations still open here if you would like to nominate them.
This year's categories are:
- School of the Year
- Private or Independent School of the Year
- PTA of the Year
- Special Education Needs (SENCO) Award
- Head Teacher of the Year
- Primary School of the Year
- Secondary School of the Year (sponsored by the University of South Wales)
- Above and Beyond Award
- Teaching Assistant of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- College or University of the Year
- Primary Teacher of the Year
- STEM Project of the Year (sponsored by National Grid)
- Secondary School Teacher of the Year
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