PLANS to build a new community centre and café on the site of a local school have been submitted to Neath Port Talbot Council.
The proposed site at Ysgol Cwm Brombil School in Margam could see the creation of a 184m² community hub as an addition to the existing school site in a newly-constructed building based on the school grounds.
Plans say if given the go-ahead the application would provide “adaptable learning spaces” that accommodate whole classes at the school along with a community hub which would engage with a range of local groups and services.
The site located off Bertha Road would also include a café, foodbank, toilet facility, lobby, and storage spaces. Additionally there would also a viewing deck to rear of the facility with the relocation of surrounding gates and fencing.
The report adds the development would be designed to be complementary to the main Cwm Brombil school buildings in both style and colouring.
It read: “Neath Port Talbot’s strategic community hub improvement programme aims to improve education and link with the community through existing schools. This project aims to provide a facility for Cwm Brombil users.
“It is intended that the hub will be used by school children/ staff and the wider community. The central meeting space will be timetabled for school use and use by other support services (i.e. health, social services, ALN, parenting support) in order to provide support for parents and pupils.
“The foodbank and café will be open to the public during set times (weekdays and during sporting activities on the current school playing fields outside of school hours – existing community use hours are between 9am and 8pm). It will be run by the volunteers and staff currently in the school.”
The plans for the development have now been handed in to the local council and are expected to be decided upon by its planning department in the coming months.
