A TENDER package to build a new Welsh-medium primary school in Welshpool has been published by Powys County Council.

The council is looking for contractors to build the new 150-place Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng in Welshpool, which was established in 2017 following a re-organisation process.

This will be a flagship project for the council with it being the first 21st Century Schools build in Powys that will see the integration of old and new, the historical and the modern.

The project will help the council deliver its Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys, an ambitious 10-year strategy that was approved earlier this year (April).

The new school will be built on the former site of Ysgol Maesydre with the old Grade II listed building, currently occupied by Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School, refurbished to accommodate early years and community facilities. A new extension will be built to include a new school hall and classroom bases.

The building will also be the first Passivhaus hybrid project in the UK.

The project was delayed after Dawnus Construction Ltd, which was awarded the construction contract, went into administration in March 2019.

Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, said: “The publication of the tender package is a major step forward for this school building project after a disappointing delay after the previous contractor going into administration.

“Our exciting plans for Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng will provide our learners with 21st Century facilities while preserving and modernising a Grade II listed building for the community of Welshpool to use.

“We have a strategy to transform education in Powys and the Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng new build shows our commitment to deliver this important strategy. When complete, it will provide a learning environment that will allow learners and teaching staff to thrive and reach their potential through the medium of Welsh.”

It is anticipated that construction work will commence following the completion of the Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School project.

The school construction project is being funded by the Welsh Government 21st Century Schools Programme and is 50 per cent funded by Powys County Council. The project is being delivered in partnership with Heart of Wales Property Services.