Brecon's £75m learning campus plan before Welsh government

Funding for a £75m campus replacing a high school, a further education college and a leisure centre is being sought from the Welsh government.

Powys council and Neath Port Talbot College (NPTC) have been invited to submit "an outline case for funding" for their scheme in Brecon.

The council agreed in April to spend £400,000 to develop the plans and work on initial designs for the campus.

The project is part of a schools modernisation project in Powys.

Mark Dacey, chief executive of NPTC Group which recently merged with Coleg Powys, said: "We are paving the way for an opportunity to build a centre of learning that will surpass anything that is currently available in Wales or the UK.

"The proposal brings together a partnership including the school, the Brecon Beacons campus of the NPTC Group, leisure facilities and the wider community."

The campus would replace the existing secondary school, the college building and the town's leisure centre.

Powys council said in April that building work, on land near the current school, could start as early as April 2015.

Cabinet member for learning Myfanwy Alexander said: "The £75m development will enable the learners, people and businesses in the region to make a positive contribution to the economy while promoting personal and community well being.

"While we have developed initial proposals that could see the campus run as an 11-16 secondary school; a sixth form and vocational college; [and] a leisure centre with a range of other council and third sector services, we will be consulting with the community about how this exciting project can be delivered."

The council said consultation with "key stakeholders" was planned for later this month, while the public would have their chance to respond at an event on 6 November.