Month: February 2021

Glyntraian Community Council is aware that there is a steadily rising groundswell of concern about the future of the main building at the Pontfadog School site, in particular a desire to retain the main building as part of any future development on the site. 

The Council has outlined these concerns in a letter to Cllr Mark Pritchard at Wrexham Council, requesting that when negotiations are carried out with the eventual developer, that the community’s concerns and suggestions are considered. 

The Council will issue an update once a reply has been received.

It has been brought to the attention of Glyntraian Community Council (GCC) that a questionnaire bearing the Council logo has been circulated in the last 24 hours.  GCC would like to make perfectly clear that this was not produced or endorsed in any way by the Council.  GCC firmly stands in full support of the recommendation resulting from the independent consultation and supporting questionnaire survey, and the integrity with which it was conducted.  GCC confirms that no further questionnaires relating to the future use of the school site will be circulated or endorsed by GCC.  We would like to remind all residents that the consultation was completed in February 2020 and GCC voted to accept the recommendation from the final report on 4^th March 2020.  This was ratified by the Wrexham County Borough Council Executive Board at its meeting on 9^th Feb 2021.  GCC consider this matter closed.

Glyntraian Community Council

19^th February 2021

GCC is aware of many conversations circulating in the community and on local social media sites regarding the Ysgol Pontfadog site. The future of the site was subject to wide consultation with the community through 2019. Regrettably, there are factual inaccuracies and misleading statements from some commentators. Accurate information regarding the entire process, methodology and all GCC Council Meeting Minutes offer full transparency on the decision-making process and are available on the GCC website at: www.glyntraian.org.uk

At yesterday’s meeting of the Wrexham Council Executive Board the members voted unanimously to endorse the recommendation for a small number of low-cost stater homes to be built on the former Pontfadog school site.  Follow this link to view the archived webcast from that meeting.

If watching the webcast relevant passages are (Public questions)  between 8 minutes 55 seconds and 10 minutes, then item 6 between 17 minutes and until 31 minutes, 50 seconds.          

https://wrexham.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/545945

Glyntraian Community Council (GCC) welcomes the decision taken today by Wrexham Council Executive Board to accept the recommendation of the Local Authority’s Corporate Land and Buildings Strategy Group to dispose of the former Ysgol Pontfadog site to a Registered Social Landlord for development as affordable housing.

GCC voted in March last year to accept an independent Feasibility Study & Recommendation Report, jointly commissioned with Welsh Rural Development Agency, Cadwyn Clwyd, which recommended the former school site be developed for a small number of low-cost starter homes.

The GCC vote was carried by 7-1 and followed a rigorous six-month community consultation exercise, including an options survey sent to all 323 homes in the community where housing was regarded as being of the highest benefit to the community.

WCBC’s Executive Board accepted today the Report’s recommendation that any low-cost housing on the site be tied into a local lettings and allocation policy in perpetuity and should include a community benefit embedded into the development.  The Board also acknowledged Cllr Trevor Bates’ request made on behalf of the local community that the old school bell and certain items from the school building itself be kept.  

Glyntraian Community Council Chairman, Cllr Graham Barrow said: “We now look forward to working closely with whichever Registered Social Landlord acquires the site.  Our expectation is the developers will consult widely with local residents. In so doing, we anticipate that they will put forward a scheme the village can be proud of and crucially, one that preserves key heritage elements of the historic old school building.”