The expansion and redevelopment of Cathays High School
On 14 October 2021 Cardiff Council Cabinet agreed proposals to:
- Increase the capacity of Cathays High School from 1,072 places (5.5 forms of entry with 247 sixth form places) to 1,450 places (8 Forms of Entry with 250 sixth form places) from September 2023
- Replace the Cathays High School buildings with new build accommodation on the Maindy Centre site adjacent to Crown Way and North Road
- Expand the current Specialist Resource Base (SRB) for learners with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) from 16 to 50 places in purpose built accommodation in the new school buildings
The approval is subject to the Charity Commission’s consent in relation to the Maindy site being held in a charitable trust.
The public consultation is now closed. You can view the statutory notice on this page. You can object to the statutory notice until the 26 July 2021.
As part of Cardiff’s Band B 21st Century Schools programme, the Council is consulting on proposals to meet increased demand for secondary school and additional learning needs places.
The Council is proposing to:
- Expand Cathays High School from 1,072 places (5.5 Forms of Entry with 247 sixth form places) to 1,450 places (8 Forms of Entry with 250 sixth form places), from September 2023;
- Replace the Cathays High School buildings with new build accommodation on the Maindy Centre site adjacent to Crown Way and North Road;
- Expand the current Specialist Resource Base (SRB) for learners with Autism Spectrum Condition from 16 to 50 places in purpose-built accommodation in the new school buildings;
- Upgrade community facilities in Cathays and Gabalfa through the significantly enhanced school facilities being made available for shared use with the wider local community;
- Provide space for the local community to continue to have access to off-road open spaces for informal leisure use, recognising this is the current use at the Maindy site.
You can download a copy of the consultation document detailing the proposed changes.
A report on the consultation will be considered by the Council Cabinet at its meeting on 17 June 2021.
The report informs Cabinet of the responses received during the consultation, the issues raised, the Council’s response to these and recommendations on the way forward. The report also identifies and addresses concerns raised in the consultation, in particular uncertainty around the location and layout of the new build school and the potential impact on open access space.
Further work has been undertaken to produce an indicative red line boundary map for the proposed school site which takes account of the views expressed.
This indicative map identifies the open access space that would be available, the retained leisure centre and BMX track areas outside of the development boundary, the required land for the school and remaining community open access land. The map identifies a large area of community space, outside of the school and leisure centre boundary of c13,500m² which would be retained. This represents an increase in unrestricted open access space available for use by the local community.
The open access space areas would be in addition to the facilities which would be provided within the boundary of the school that would be available to the community outside of school hours.
Further consideration of the layout of the site would be necessary at the design stage.
In the report the Cabinet is recommended to authorise officers to publish a statutory notice to:
- Expand Cathays High School from 1,072 places (5.5 Forms of Entry with 247 sixth form places) to 1,450 places (8 Forms of Entry with 250 sixth form places), from September 2023
- Replace the Cathays High School buildings with new build accommodation on the Maindy Centre site adjacent to Crown Way and North Road
- Expand the current Specialist Resource Base (SRB) for learners with Autism Spectrum Condition from 16 to 50 places in purpose-built accommodation in the new school buildings
An update on the proposal will be provided following the Cabinet meeting.
The report is available to view on the Council website and can be accessed via the link below:
Publication of Legal Statutory Notice: The Expansion and Redevelopment of Cathays High School
A report was considered by the Council's Cabinet on 17 June 2021 which set out recommendations following a public consultation that took place earlier in the year on proposals regarding the expansion and redevelopment of Cathays High School.
The Cabinet agreed for the Council to progress to the next stage and issue a legal Statutory Notice to:
- Increase the capacity of Cathays High School from 1,072 places (5.5 Forms of Entry with 247 sixth form places) to 1,450 places (8 Forms of Entry with 250 sixth form places) from September 2023
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Replace the Cathays High School buildings with new build accommodation on the Maindy Centre site adjacent to Crown Way and North Road
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Expand the current Specialist Resource Base (SRB) for learners with Autism Spectrum Condition from 16 to 50 places in purpose-built accommodation in the new school buildings
The statutory notice is live from 29 June 2021 and allows a period of 28 days for formal objections to the proposals up to an including 26 July 2021.
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Objections should be sent to the Director of Education and Lifelong Learning, Cardiff Council, County Hall, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff CF10 4UW.
Objections may also be sent to the Director of Education and Lifelong Learning, Cardiff Council using the following e-mail address:
SchoolResponses@cardiff.gov.uk
Please note that any such objection sent by e-mail must contain the full name and postal address of the objector.