Powys: Planning green light for Brynllywarch Hall School

Work to replace Brynllywarch Hall School in Kerry can now begin after Powys County Council granted planning permission for the troubled project.

Plans for a new facility began in 2022 but were derailed after the previous contractor ISG Construction and the council parted ways.

The company had previously made a public appeal to local construction companies to help with the build.

There has been some fierce local opposition to the plans, with Kerry Community Council objecting partly because the new building is earmarked for greenfield land.

It is also concerned about what the new building will mean for future of Grade II-listed Brynllywarch Hall, which currently houses the school.

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Chairman of Kerry council, Cllr David Jones previously said: “Support in the area for this scheme to move the site is virtually zero.

“We are happy enough with the school – but why move it onto a greenfield site?”

He pointed out that Brynllywarch Hall is not “obtrusive,” but the new site could be seen and that developing “brownfield sites” should be considered before building on fields.

“Why hasn’t Brynllywarch Hall been incorporated in the plans? – it’s a very fine building," he said.

“I don’t accept the argument that this building is redundant and cannot be made suitable, it doesn’t wash with me or the people of Kerry.”

The Welsh Government had been asked to “call in” the application, which would have seen the application come before planning inspectors at PEDW (Planning Environment Department Wales).

However permission has now been granted and the plans for the new site which will include a replacement school, ancillary buildings, a MUGA sports surface, landscaping, and associated works.

In the planning statement Powys County Council has said the current mansion house “dates from 1829 and is considered inadequate for modern education purposes due to its condition and arrangement”.

They added: “Upon completion, the pupils and staff will vacate the existing premises and move into to the new facility.

"The old buildings and immediate grounds will be subject to a feasibility study to determine its potential for reuse and safeguarding in the future (outside the scope of this application).

“The two sites will be independent from each other and have separate entrances and perimeters.”