The first major milestone in the new £110m Fairwater Community Campus development in Cardiff has been completed.

The scheme, designed by HLM Architects, will bring Cantonian High School, Woodlands High School, and Riverbank School together on one site, reshaping education in Cardiff.

The largest project in scale and investment delivered by the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning programme, the campus goes beyond the boundaries of traditional schooling, focusing on supporting the Curriculum for Wales and on seven key areas: Learning, arts, sports, post-16 education, inclusion, sustainability, and community.

Recently the project team marked the first milestone in the completion of the project with the official handover of the new Health and Wellbeing Hub to the local authority.

Named Copa, the Welsh word for ‘summit’, the hub will serve as a centre for health, wellbeing, and sport.

It features a dynamic activity studio, a dedicated maker space, a state-of-the-art gym, and outdoor sports pitches.

These facilities will support pupils during the school day and open their doors to community groups in the evenings, encouraging connections and helping to strengthen Cardiff’s community spirit.

The new campus will also feature:

• Sustainability:At its core and designed with the planet in mind, the new campus will provide growing areas and nutrition teaching spaces to community cafes that showcase home-grown produce. A net zero carbon and BREEAM ‘Excellent’-rated development will make it a hands-on learning tool for sustainable living. Students will not just study sustainability; they will live it, exploring eco-friendly design and operations integrated into the very fabric of the campus. This bold initiative sets the stage for a globally-responsible Cardiff, contributing to a greener Wales for generations to come
• Building Careers, Supporting Futures:The campus features a vocational enterprise hub known as Pontio, which in Welsh translates to ‘bridge’. This is where Cardiff Commitment partners will work directly with pupils from Woodlands High School to bridge education with work skills, fostering career paths and ease transition from education to employment, equipping students for a prosperous future
• Health and Education:A dedicated multi-agency hub has been designed to bring health professionals onsite to work with ALN pupils from Riverbank and Woodlands schools, reducing time spent outside school to attend appointments. This unified approach strengthens both health and education, empowering young people to thrive with resilience and confidence

Cardiff Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for education, Councillor Sarah Merry, said: “Fairwater Community Campus is the first of its kind for Cardiff and Wales and will be one of the most-educationally-advanced institutions in the UK.

“Each school will be able to keep its identity and will benefit from shared facilities, expertise, and teaching opportunities to deliver an exceptional experience for students, staff, and their communities.

“Delivered under our Band B Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, the new campus represents significant investment in Cardiff’s education.

“It supports the council’s Stronger Fairer Greener commitments, meeting the aspirations set out in Cardiff 2030, the city’s vision for all children and young people to experience high-quality education and develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes that enable them to become personally successful, and globally-engaged citizens.”

She added: “The handover of the wellbeing building shows how the designs are now turning into reality.

“This ambitious scheme reflects the diverse range of learner needs allowing each school to have a clear sense of individuality while being part of the wider campus.

“Importantly, the development will see an increase of education places for mainstream pupils as well as pupils with Additional Learning Needs, helping to meet demand across the city.

“Not only providing pupils with access to state-of-the art facilities and the highest quality learning environment, the scheme also represents a significant investment in the Fairwater area, ensuring the local community will also benefit from excellent, modern amenities.”

In November 2024, the council appointed Wales-based construction company Borley Engineering Services (BESL) as an interim principal contractor to ensure work continues onsite following the announcement of ISG Construction going into administration.

Steve Borley, BESL group managing director, said: “Out of adversity, we have delivered a success story along with our supply chain partners with the health and wellbeing building being handed over this month on budget.

“The handover of the complete campus is in line with the original programme, and the quality of workmanship complements the exceptional design of this flagship project.

“Fairwater Community Campus has demonstrated what can be achieved in terms of quality and value for money, through a truly-collaborative approach.”