Welshpool school’s 40% expansion approved despite parking fears

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to expand the capacity of Welshpool’s Welsh-medium primary school, Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng, from 150 to 210 have been approved, but parking concerns have been raised.

At a meeting of Powys County Council’s Liberal Democrat/Labour cabinet on Tuesday, councillors received a proposal to start the legal process of expanding the school to meet growing demand for Welsh-medium education in the Welshpool area.

The extra 60 spaces will be created by building two new classrooms, which are expected to be fully funded by the Welsh Government.

Education Portfolio Holder, Cllr James Gibson-Watt (Liberal Democrat – Glasbury), said: “It is clear just how much the school has grown from January 2019 when it had 73 pupils.

“In January 2026 it had 126 and we find the numbers are projected to be 147 in January next year and rising to 178 in January 2031.

“This is a rapidly expanding school, which is to be welcomed, we’re so used to seeing the opposite.

“There is increasing demand for Welsh-medium education which is welcome and to which we have to respond.

“There’s plenty of justification for this and a capital grant has been agreed in principle by the Welsh Government, subject to a business case being submitted.”

Cabinet member for legal and statutory services, Cllr Richard Church, is also a governor at the school.

Cllr Church (Liberal Democrat – Welshpool Castle) said that he had been involved since it was set up in the former Ardwyn Junior and Infant School in Welshpool before it moved to the former Ysgol Maesydre site.

Cllr Church said: “The growth has continued and demonstrates that Welsh-medium education can be a success anywhere in Powys, over 90% of the children are from English-speaking families.

“We can attract pupils from a wide area, some of them come from across the border from England.

“It’s tribute to the talent and hard work of the headteacher and staff at the school that has enabled this to happen.”

The successful growth of the school could not have been predicted when the decision had been made by a previous administration 10 years ago to set up a Welsh-medium primary school as part of reorganising education in Welshpool.

But he said that “success brings its own issues” and he had an extra plea for his colleagues.

Cllr Church continued: “Parents have asked me to raise this. The school serves a wide catchment area which means that a disproportionately high number of pupils arrive by car.

“There is a real problem of access to the school picking up and dropping off pupils. Problems at the school gates relating to this have increased as the school has grown.

“We need to ensure that those issues are addressed as part of this process if we are to see another 50 or 60 pupils arriving by car.”

He asked for a “proper traffic impact assessment” and for the entrance to the school to be “redesigned” to create a safer drop-off zone.

Cllr Church said: “While parents wanted me to make this point, they really are very keen and supportive of the expansion.”

Council leader Cllr Jake Berriman (Liberal Democrat – Llandrindod North) said the traffic issue would be looked at as “designs are worked through.”

“It’s encouraging that we’ve got a school that’s bucking the trend we have,” said Cllr Berriman.

Councillors then unanimously voted to agree the proposal.