Ysgol Dyffryn Aeron is a planning‑led education project that demonstrates how climate ambition, wellbeing and community benefit can be delivered together. The scheme consolidates three schools into a modern, inclusive campus that supports learning, health and social cohesion in a rural setting. Through strong planning leadership, the project achieved BREEAM Outstanding and delivers net‑zero carbon operation, with energy‑efficient design, renewable energy generation and clean heat at its core. Careful site selection, landscape‑responsive design and long‑term environmental performance ensure the school safeguards its setting while providing resilient, future‑ready education infrastructure that will benefit the Aeron Valley for generations.

The judges said: "Ysgol Dyffryn Aeron Valley Primary School is an exceptional example of a project demonstrating excellence in planning for wellbeing and education, ensuring it responds sensitively to the context of the surrounding area, including the Aeron Valley Special Landscape Area. The project is an example of a scheme going beyond standard practice to embed wellbeing outcomes and deliver the highest-scoring education building in the UK, with an 'Outstanding' BREEAM score of 93.69%. The project meets all criteria, provides specific evidence and summarises the planning approach in detail."