TWENTY-one trees and a new wildflower meadow are planned as part of works to replace a school’s outdated sports pitch with an artificial surface.
Plans for the 3G sports pitch, that will be suitable for rugby and football, at Cwmbran High School were confirmed to Torfaen Borough Council’s April meeting when the council’s cabinet member for education, Richard Clark, said a planning application had been submitted.
The application, made by the education department, shows the soft, artificial grass pitch would replace the upper Redgra pitch, one of two clay and limestone gravel surfaces at the school.
Six new floodlights on 12-metre tall columns, will also be installed and a detailed report on how the light will be projected is included in the application while all the floodlights will be fitted to reduce light spill and glare.
The pitch will be available for the school and local clubs to use year round.
New five-metre-high fencing is proposed around the pitch and extended to eight metres, with ball stop fencing, behind the posts.
It’s anticipated that seven trees will need to be cut or pruned to make way for the new fencing.
The council’s ecologist has recommended field maple and silver birch trees are planted, opposite a parking drop-off area, and tree planting is at a ratio of three for every one lost, resulting in 21 new trees.
A 55-square metre wild-flower area will be planted on the banking adjacent to the pitch.
There are already 116 marked parking spaces across the school site, including 16 accessible spaces and four electric vehicle charging stations while there are 56 informal spaces on a yard used after school hours by Fairwater Leisure Centre.
There are also 23 marked spaces in the drop off zone around the main car park and a further ten on the school grounds for drop-off for the special needs base and those spaces can double up as a coach drop off out of hours for a minimum of two coaches though adjustment to the kerb line is required.