New facilities for Wrexham Coleg Cambria campus receive approval

Plans to create new teaching facilities at a college in Wrexham have received unanimous backing.

Coleg Cambria has been carrying out major improvements to its Yale campus on Grove Park Road over the last two years.

The work to date has seen the creation of a £21m extension which features a restaurant, training academy, florist, coffee bar and hair and beauty salon.

Councillors met yesterday (Monday, 8 March) to discuss the college’s latest proposals for a three-storey building to provide general teaching and health and wellbeing training.

Members of Wrexham Council’s planning committee were told the scheme would result in the demolition of the existing science teaching facilities on one of the main routes into the town.

Planning officer Matthew Phillips said the application would deliver a number of benefits for the area.

He said: “The proposal does result in the removal of some buildings which don’t make a positive contribution to the conservation area.

“This development will significantly enhance this part of the conservation area and I would argue a key gateway into the town centre as well.

“It will also provide a significant enhancement in terms of the educational facilities that the college offers.”

In documents submitted to the local authority ahead of the meeting, the college said the existing facilities were no longer fit for purpose.

Local councillor Marc Jones was among those who gave his backing for the proposals.

He said: “I have to say I’m fully in support of the work that Coleg Cambria has done to meld the old with the new.

“Although it’s in a conservation zone, I think they’ve done a very good job in developing some really top-quality architectural features in the town centre.”

The plans received the support of all 20 members of the committee at the end of their discussions.

Proposals entered by the college show the new building will include an atrium, space for socialising, health facilities and a cafe on the ground floor.

Study areas, teaching rooms and administration facilities will also be created on the first and second floors.

By Liam Randall – BBC Local Democracy Reporter