A £5.1 million project to build a new home for Ysgol Glancegin in Bangor has taken a significant step forward, with confirmation that north Wales company, Wynne Construction has secured the main contract to build the new school.
The project is jointly funded by Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government through their 21st Century Schools Programme. The construction of the new school building is in the Maesgeirchen area of the city and will take the place of the present Ysgol Glancegin.
This exciting scheme will ensure the best teaching environment within the school, and the development will also offer an external teaching space, as well as providing new play areas which will support the children’s development across all parts of the curriculum. Detailed design work, including the submission of a planning application will be carried out over the next few months.
Councillor Gareth Thomas, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member for Education, said:“As a Council, we are eager to ensure that children within communities across the county, wherever they live, have access to the best possible educational resources.
“It’s fantastic news that the project to build the new Ysgol Glancegin is moving ahead. With an investment of over £5 million, when the school opens its doors in 2017, children in this area of Bangor will benefit from a modern teaching environment. It is also great that the building will offer a specific space to support specialist intervention, as well as contributing to raising the level of the children’s attainment.”
Wynne Construction from north Wales has been selected to carry out the builing project following a formal tender process. As part of their tender, the company, in conjunction with the project architects, Lovelock Mitchell Associates, has prepared a video outlining how the new £5.1 million Ysgol Glancegin will look when it will opens to pupils in September 2017.
Councillor Dafydd Meurig, Gwynedd Council Cabinet Member who leads on property matters, noted: “Over the past few years, the Council has worked effectively in a partnership with Wynne Construction to complete a number of school projects, and at the moment, they are leading on a project to build the new Ysgol Hafod Lon in Penrhyndeudraeth.
“We know from experience that the company shares our commitment to keeping as much as possible of the benefits of similar projects within the local economy by employing as many local staff and contractors on the projects as possible and supporting local businesses in their supply chains.
“The preliminary designs are very exciting and it’s wonderful to see the video which outlines an artist’s impression of how the new Ysgol Glancegin will look. More detailed work will now be carried out to complete the final plans, with the expectation that the building work will start on site during the summer.”
Chris Wynne Managing Director, Wynne Construction added: “As a reputable contractor in North Wales and one of the leading providers of educational buildings in the region, we are delighted to have been awarded this contract by Gwynedd Council. Our proven experience in this field equips us to deliver the scheme to a high standard and during the construction process to strengthen our existing local supply chain and to support the North Wales economy. We will also involve the community and key stakeholders in delivering a range of community benefits in support of the investment into the project.”
Councillor Nigel Pickavance who represents the area on Gwynedd Council noted: “This is another encouraging step in the work to establish the new Ysgol Glancegin. The fact that the main contractors have been appointed means that detailed work on the plans for the new school can move ahead and I look forward to seeing exactly how the new school will look.”
It is expected that the building work will start in the summer of 2016, with the new Ysgol Glancegin ready for September 2017.
The new Ysgol Glancegin project is jointly funded by Gwynedd Council and the Welsh Government through their 21st Century Schools Programme and is part of the Welsh Government’s £200 million Schools and Public Buildings Contractor Framework for North Wales.
An outline of how the new Ysgol Glancegin will look (Video courtesy of Lovelock Mitchell Associates): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9_kalS7Isk
