Plans have been submitted to the Vale planning committee for the new Pencoedtre High School site.

The construction of a replacement secondary school will be built at the site of the existing Pencoedtre High School and the demolition of the existing secondary school building will be done upon completion of the new building.

The existing school is said to be beyond economical repair since its construction in 1971.

The proposed development will cater for mixed sex pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.

The new school is expected to open in 2021.

At full capacity the school will enrol up to 1,250 pupils of which 200 will be sixth form students.

The number of staff is also expected to increase in accordance with pupils to 150, with 105 being teaching staff and 45 being non-teaching staff.

The planning statement outlines the proposal for the new building:

• Three storey secondary school building around a 'heart space' of dining hall, main hall and courtyard.
• Facilities for the sixth form pupils; and
• An all-weather pitch and games courts.

Regarding access, the planning application states: ''All traffic will enter and exit the school via Merthyr Dyfan Road like the existing route.

''As part of the proposals, there will be improvements to parent and school bus drop off areas.

''The proposed scheme provides 139 standard car parking bays (including 2 electrical vehicle charging points), 8 disabled car parking bays and space for 9 motorcycles.

''The proposed scheme has 76 secure cycle parking spaces which meets the Vale of Glamorgan Supplementary Planning Guidance requirements.''

A pre application consultation report outlines any responses received regarding the application.

Negative neighbour comments remained minimal. One comment stated ''the proposal will be good for the children of the future''.

Highway issues were one of the main points received from neighbours. This concern was backed by the Local Highway Authority.

Responding to the feedback, the statement says: ''Discussions have been undertaken with the Highway Authority during the course of the pre-application discussion and the scheme has been amended to reflect these discussions, however, these are ongoing.''

The plans will be discussed by the Vale Planning Committee and a decision will be made then on whether the application can be taken forward.