A special ground-breaking ceremony marked the start of construction on a new primary school at Persimmon’s St Edeyrn’s Village development in Cardiff.

The new £6million primary school will be the first provided as part of Cardiff's Local Development Plan (LDP) and will become the brand-new home for St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School, which will relocate from its current site in Llanrumney.

It was agreed that the school would be built by Persimmon as part of the planning agreement with the Council, and funded through Section 106 contributions.

The ground was cut at the site by Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, Cardiff Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry, St Mellons CIW Primary School Headteacher Jane Marchesi and Chair of Governors Gary Twell.

Lee Woodfine, Managing Director of Persimmon Homes East Wales, was also present, along with representatives from Halsall Construction, which is delivering the school.

Mr Woodfine said: "It's a proud day for Persimmon as work starts on this new primary school at our St Edeyrn’s development.

"This will be a state-of-the-art school for the children of St Mellons, Pontprennau and Llanrumney, ensuring their educational journey begins in the right environment.

"Right from the start we have been committed to creating a new community at St Edeyrn’s and the school forms an important part of that."

The new school will be a 1 form entry, accommodating 210 pupils including a 48 place part-time nursery with the opportunity to expand to a 2 form entry (420 place) in the future.

There will be a community facility linked to the school with private entrance and interconnecting entrance providing benefits to the wider community.

Cabinet Member for Education Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry said: "This groundbreaking marks an exciting milestone for the new school site which when complete, will provide staff and pupils with a modern, state-of-art learning environment to inspire.

"The housing development at St Edeyrn’s is already very popular, generating a significant increase in the demand for school places in the area. The new school will have a community focus providing opportunities for local people to access facilities as well ensuring availability of school places."

Headteacher Jane Marchesi said: "Everyone at St Mellons CIW Primary is very pleased to see construction of our new school beginning. As we celebrate this new chapter in the school's history, we will be building on a foundation of many happy memories of school life in Llanrumney and Old St Mellons.

"We look forward to growing and to all the opportunities this will offer our pupils, families and the local community. We hope to be a key facility at the heart of the community and will be keen to welcome all to our school family."

Andy Corp, Managing Director at Halsall said: "We have extensive experience building new schools across the South West and we are delighted that Persimmon have chosen us once again to deliver the first school under Cardiff's Local Development Plan. 

"We are excited to be working with local supply chain partners who will provide us with local materials and who will also provide job opportunities in the area as we construct the new school. "We will be keeping residents up-to-date with the progress as we focus on delivering the new school to the community and we can't wait to see the value it will add."

The relocation of St Mellons CIW Primary School is part of a strategic solution to rebalance primary school provision in parts of North East Cardiff due to the issue of surplus primary school places in the Llanrumney area, and the need for additional places in Old St Mellons and parts of Pontprennau, when the St Edeyrn's housing development is complete.

Cllr Merry added: "The relocation of St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School, presents an exciting opportunity to pupils and staff, providing them with an excellent facilities for the future. It will also help address the problem of surplus places in Llanrumney, which has placed a significant strain on school budgets in the area."

St Edeyrn's is a development in the North East of the city as part of Cardiff's Local Development Plan (LDP), which sets out the infrastructure required to facilitate and sustain the city's growth up to 2026.

Subject to procurement, the new school is expected to be ready for occupation in by Easter 2023.

You can read more about St Edeyrn's Village and register your interest here.