Here is your Tuesday update, covering:

• Council homes development with ultra-low carbon goals gets approval
• Cardiff's air quality sees significant improvement in 2023, and ranks among UK's best
• Fairoak Primary School announced as city's newest education setting

Council homes development with ultra-low carbon goals gets approval

A new ground-breaking, energy-saving council housing development in Llanedeyrn has been given the go ahead.

Plans for the scheme, set to be delivered on land between the Maelfa neighbourhood centre and St Teilo's Church in Wales School, have been approved by Planning Committee today.

The highly sustainable development consists of 53 two, three and five-bedroom affordable and spacious houses, practical for modern family life, as well as nine independent living flats for adults with learning difficulties.

Renewable technologies such as PV panels for each home, air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging capabilities will contribute to reducing the homes' impact on the planet while sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) will boost the scheme's resilience and create attractive multi-functional spaces to maximise biodiversity.

Set within a green landscape creating a healthy and attractive neighbourhood, the development has been designed to encourage and support more sustainable ways of living including opportunities for food growing, with safe and welcoming communal spaces that promote neighbourliness and social interaction, and opportunities for residents to walk and cycle.

Seeking to significantly improve connectivity around the area, a series of new routes connecting to local amenities and public transport will be created as part of the scheme which recently won a Cardiff Property Award for best residential development. The re-routing of the public footpath west of the site, which currently separates St Teilo's Church in Wales School's playing fields from the school, will enable the school to consolidate its estate.

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Cardiff's air quality sees significant improvement in 2023, and ranks among UK's best

The air quality data for 2023 shows that Cardiff's air is getting cleaner, with annual average concentrations of pollutants well below legal limits.

This improvement was recently noted by Auto Trader, which ranked Cardiff in the top 10 UK cities for best air quality, making it the only Welsh city to receive this accolade.

To monitor air pollution, the council uses various air quality monitoring stations that track pollutants like Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Legal limits are set for NO2 and PM10, and local authorities in Wales must monitor and report their findings to the Welsh Government annually.

Key findings from the 2023 data include:

Automatic Monitoring Sites

Prior to May 2023, four sites (Fredrick Street, Richards Terrace, Castle Street, and Lakeside Primary School) were compliant with NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 levels. An additional 45 sites installed in May 2023 also showed compliance.

Non-Automatic Monitoring Sites

Data from 135 sites monitoring NO2 showed compliance with air quality standards, with a 37% decrease in NO2 emissions since 2019. Average NO2 concentrations were lower than during the pandemic.

Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs)

Cardiff has four AQMAs (City Centre, Stephenson Court, Ely Bridge, and Llandaff). The latest data shows improvements in all AQMAs, with pollutant concentrations below legal limits.

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Fairoak Primary School announced as city's newest education setting

A new primary school to serve Cathays and parts of Gabalfa, Heath, Llandaff North and Plasnewydd has been named Fairoak Primary School and will officially open in September 2025.

Applications for Reception places are now open at the newly established school which will provide 420 English medium primary places and a nursery. Fairoak Primary School will bring together pupils, staff and communities from Allensbank and Gladstone Primary Schools as part of plans to renew and improve primary school provision in the area.

Chosen by pupils, parents, staff and governors following extensive consultation, the new school name has taken inspiration from nature and a 600-year-old ancient oak tree which once stood proudly in the locality of the school.

Children have played an important role in creating a vision for the new school which looks to encompass a commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive community where everyone shares a deep sense of identity and belonging. A new school council has been formed with pupils from both Allensbank and Gladstone Primary schools and pupils have been integral to the design process of the new school logo and uniform which will be launched in the new year.

The new school will be located at the junction of Fairoak Road, Crwys Road, Cathays Terrace and Whitchurch Road, occupying the site currently shared by Gladstone and St Monica's Church in Wales Primary Schools.

Read more here