We are holding a drop-in session for the community to view plans for a Belonging and Inclusion Hub at the Carn Gwaval Wellbeing Centre on St Mary’s.
The business case for the development of a Belonging and Inclusion at the Carn Gwaval site was approved by Members at the meeting of Full Council on 18 November 2025. The Council has since submitted a planning application for a single-storey extension to the existing Wellbeing Centre building. You can view the planning application documents on our website.
The proposals for the new Hub are designed to offer inclusive support for all children, young people, and families, especially those children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This includes facilitating and coordinating alternative provision for children who are not currently accessing school, in keeping with our responsibilities under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996. Whilst the islands have a strong commitment to supporting inclusion within Five Islands Academy, where pupils are educated alongside their peers, alternative provision is occasionally also necessary on the islands.
The Hub will provide a dedicated space for the social connection and wellbeing of parents and children to be supported and create spaces which could be used for on-island education facilitation.
The Department for Education has provided the capital funding for the project via its High Needs Provision Capital Allocations provision. If the planning application is approved by Full Council in March, we anticipate that work will start on site in May 2026, with completion in August 2026.
Drop-in session
Details of the drop-in session are as follows:
Date: Monday 23 February 2026
Time: 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Venue: Klondike meeting room, Carn Gwaval Wellbeing Centre, St Mary’s
Attendees will be able to view a 3D walkthrough of the building and hear directly from KTA Architects Ltd about the ideas behind their designs.
Cllr Williams, Lead Member for Children, who will be on hand to introduce the project at 3.30pm, said: “This project has been on the Council’s radar for many years, so it’s great to see the proposals progressed to this stage. I encourage all resident families to review the proposed plans and come along to the drop-in session if you have any questions, or would like to find out more. I believe that this project provides a real opportunity to expand the range of facilities and support offered to children, young people and families on the islands, whilst also helping the Council and its partner organisations to overcome some of the challenges faced when delivering statutory duties in our remote community.”
Further information
This work is closely related to National Government Reforms to introduce Family Hubs (one place where families can go for support) and the Best Start in Life (for Early Years work).
If you have any questions about this project or the drop-in session, please call 0300 1234 105 (option 5) or email familyscilly@scilly.gov.uk