Bassaleg School demolition and rebuild plan set for go-ahead

Last year, it was revealed that plans were being drawn up to demolish part of Bassaleg School.

In its place, a new, modern teaching block would be constructed.

It comes as part of overall plans to increase the capacity of the school from 1,747 to 2,050 by September 2023.

Now, these plans look to be moving closer to reality, with Newport City Council’s planning committee set to recommend these for approval later today, Wednesday.

It comes despite five objections being raised by nearby residents, including parking concerns in the surrounding residential areas.

This paves the way for the work to start, though an exact timeline for this has yet to be established.

What do plans show?

According to documents submitted alongside these plans, the last few years have seen a forecasted increase in demand for school places in the Bassaleg area of the city.

This in part comes as a result of the Jubilee Park and Tredegar Park Golf Club housing developments bringing more residents to the area.

To cope with the additional demand, temporary buildings were installed at Bassaleg School.

Under the new plans, these structures, along with some older buildings, will be removed, and replaced with permanent facilities for students.

An artist impression of the new school building

Part of the existing Griffin block and the Forge dining hall would be demolished as part of these plans.

In their place, plans show that a new, three-storey block would be built – directly linking the Forge building with the Griffin block.

The new building would be home to a new school assembly hall, dining hall, learning resource centre, classrooms and staff offices.

According to LRM Planning - the agent responsible for the application, “the new teaching block will create a new focus and heart to the school”.

Along with the building work, the plans also provide improved car parking, and drop-off facilities on site.

According to council planning officers, the additional pupil capacity would not see an increase in the number of sixth form pupils – those old enough to drive to school, and as such, it is not thought that there will be any greater parking disruption than already existing.

Due to the scale of the plans, and the fact that it pertains to an application on council owned land, the application is required to go before Newport’s planning committee.

However, the initial officer report has recommended that the plans be given the go-ahead.

A final decision is expected on Wednesday, February 2.