TREGARON OLD SCHOOL SCHOOL REDEVELOPMENT - WHILEYN Y PORTHMYN
Further to the de-commissioning of the Tregaron Old School site in 2014, Ceredigion County Council searched for an alternative use for the building that fitted the Educational Trust’s requirement for the buildings to be used for Educational Purposes, with a view to the ownership being transferred to a community organisation.
From this Whilen Y Porthmyn applied for funding to undertake a feasibility study on the Tregaron Old School site on behalf of the community. Following a procurement exercise Miller Research Ltd were appointed as the successful consultants.
Miller Research Ltd began by visiting the Old School site to get a better understanding of its size, layout and state of repair to help them in their understanding of what new uses the building might be suitable for. Miller Research Ltd then went on to consult with 12 local stakeholders including Ysgol Henry Richard, The Tregaron Family Centre, Cylch Caron and others.
A wider community consultation was undertaken by way of a questionnaire, with an overwhelming consensus being that the Old School building would be a good location for childcare. In order to gain a better understanding of this feedback Miller Research issued a further questionnaire which was aimed at gathering information on the type of childcare that local people required.
From the research carried out and interviews with local stake holders a draft report was created which set out for possibilities. Following lengthy discussions at a public meeting in June 2017 where the interim report was presented, those present felt that the best option for the site was for it to be sold and the proceeds of sale be used by the community for a venture which fitted with the trusts objectives. The overwhelming consensus was that the money be used to build a purpose built Meithrin facility on the Secondary School site.
Following the public meeting Miller Research produced a final bilingual report detailing all of their findings and the outcome of the public meeting. The final report can be seen by clicking here.
This project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.
Further Reading
