Plans for a “state-of-the-art” college campus in Barry are set to be given the go-ahead. The proposal is for the Cardiff and Vale College campus to be built on a brownfield site to the south of Hood Road. It is part of a wider scheme to replace the Cardiff and Vale College Colcot Road site, which will also include a proposal for a new campus near Cardiff Airport. Welsh Education Partnership and Cardiff and Vale College’s plans for the new campus to the south of Hood Road would cater for 855 students and 79 full-time equivalent staff.
The land is located on the junction of Hood Road and Ffordd y Mileniwm and next to Ysgol Gymraeg Sant Baruc. A decision is expected to be made on the plans at a meeting of Vale of Glamorgan Council’s planning committee on Thursday, September 5. The main access to the site will be from Ffordd y Mileniwm, which is the existing access road used for Ysgol Gymraeg Sant Baruc. There will be parking on site and cycle storage.
A council report on the plans states that the local authority’s highway development department was consulted and the parking provision falls short of the maximum provision. Despite this, it highlights the sustainable location of the site and notes that the site’s frontage is already protected by Traffic Regulation Orders. Baruc ward members were consulted, but no comments have been received at the time the report was written.
Inside the building, there will be a coffee shop, a shop, and dining area. The hair and beauty therapy and hospitality and catering departments will also have active street frontages open to the public. The upper floors will include a gym, external garden terrace, classrooms, and IT rooms. Plans for the campus show that there will be a dining area outside with a canopy and a courtyard with a grass lawn and seating area.
The proposed new Cardiff and Vale College campus in Barry is a significant development for the area, providing modern facilities for students and staff. The plans align with the broader vision to enhance educational opportunities and infrastructure in Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan. The upcoming decision by Vale of Glamorgan Council’s planning committee will be crucial in moving the project forward and bringing these plans to fruition.