Cardiff and Vale College has secured planning consent for a new £35m waterfront campus in Barry, set to serve up to 1,000 students.
The forthcoming Cardiff and Vale College campus, to be built on land south of Hood Road in Barry, will be primarily funded through the Welsh Government’s mutual investment model (MIM). This funding approach will see construction costs repaid over a 25-year period. The college’s existing site on Colcot Road will be sold to finance approximately 19% of the project cost. This marks the first instance of MIM being used to fund a further education college in Wales.
Spanning 60,000 sq ft, the net zero campus is expected to open towards the end of 2026. The development will include public amenities such as a hair and beauty salon, bistro/restaurant, external garden terrace, classrooms, IT rooms, a covered dining area, and a courtyard with a grass lawn and seating areas. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to contribute to designing public art, which will be integrated into the campus structure.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council has granted planning permission for this new campus, with Bouygues UK appointed as the main contractor. Construction is expected to commence early next year. The project is anticipated to cost around £35m, although the final figure is subject to evaluation. In parallel, Cardiff and Vale College also plans a new 130,000 sq ft campus near Cardiff Airport focused on advanced technology, as part of an overall £100m expansion effort.
Cardiff and Vale College Chief Executive Mike James expressed satisfaction with the approval, highlighting their commitment to providing excellent teaching and learning environments. He stated, “We are delighted that the Vale of Glamorgan has approved of this investment in education and training in the region. It is with real pleasure that I can say that we are delivering on our commitment to provide first-class teaching and learning environments for learners and the community in the Vale of Glamorgan.”
Lis Burnett, leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, echoed this sentiment, calling the waterfront campus a landmark development for the town. She remarked, “This is wonderful news for the Vale of Glamorgan. The proposed multi-million-pound Waterfront campus will be a landmark development for the town. It will bring modern, state of the art education facilities for learners across the Vale. I am very proud of our ongoing collaboration as public sector partners with Cardiff and Vale College and the Welsh Government in helping the college progress the delivery of this exciting new educational scheme.”
The new campus will revitalise a vacant brownfield site near the town centre, offering much-needed educational and vocational training opportunities within an environmentally sustainable setting. Once operational, it is anticipated to serve as a catalyst for local regeneration and placemaking, enhancing the educational landscape within the region.
With its emphasis on sustainability and advanced learning facilities, the new Barry campus is poised to significantly contribute to education and local regeneration efforts.