Bridgend Council’s Cabinet is set to approve a new expected opening date for the replacement Ysgol Bro Ogwr on the outskirts of Brackla (pdf).
The replacement school – which would be built a few hundred metres from the current school – would have a capacity for 525 pupils, plus a 90-place nursery. This is significantly more than the current school and would help meet local demand for Welsh-medium places.
A Welsh-medium childcare facility for the Bridgend town area will be co-located with the new school.
The school was originally expected to open in September 2025. Subject to Cabinet approval, this will be pushed back to September 2027.
What has caused the delay?
Design work is close to being completed. This has taken longer than usual because the school needed a unique design to fit on the land.
The cost of the school has also risen from the original £12.6 million to £18.6 million due to inflation and other factors. This means a revised business plan will need approval from the Welsh Government.
The work has been further delayed by the discovery of reptiles on the land at Ffordd Cadfan by an ecologist. The reptiles are expected to be rehoused this summer which will enable the land to be cleared for further site investigations.
You would assume this may have also held up the proposed Aldi supermarket and social housing developments nearby.
A public consultation for the new school is currently being prepared.
