𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

An outdoors school set up by singer Charlotte Church on a former pig farm has had planning permission refused for a site it had been using over environmental fears.

The Awen Project opened in 2024 without planning permission in Wenvoe, Vale of Glamorgan.

It applied for retrospective permission in October 2025, but that was refused and it has since appealed to the Welsh government’s Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).

The council raised concerns over the noise, impact on residents, and dangers to pedestrians because of insufficient parking. It also said the project failed to show how it would “conserve and enhance green infrastructure”.

The Awen Project said it would not be closing.

“We have simply moved on from land that was only ever temporary – which is the model that we operate under,” it said in a statement.

It added that Church had not been involved with the project for some time.

The Awen Project aims to give children an environment “where they feel championed to be themselves and follow their passions as active participants in a democratic community”.

The school is free and accepts donations.

It was originally based in Cwm George and Casehill Woods, near Dinas Powys, with permission from the Woodland Trust.

But, in 2023, the charity revoked the license agreement because of “multiple breaches” of the permission granted which “posed health and safety concerns” for “visitors and wildlife”.

In response, the project posted on social media that it had given its “best efforts to salvage” the partnership.

A council spokesperson said the planning application for the site in Wenvoe was refused because of “concerns regarding the sustainability” of the site’s location and the “potential impact on neighbouring residents was another consideration”.

There was also “insufficient supporting evidence to satisfy concerns around the potential impact of the proposal on biodiversity and the natural environment”, the council said.

PEDW confirmed it had received the appeal, but said no date has been fixed for the hearing.

Correction 12 August 2026: This story was updated to make it clear that the Awen Project was not closing after a previous version of the story said it might face closure. A statement from the Awen Project was also included to say the school had moved to a new site and that Charlotte Church had not been involved with the project for some time.