Carmarthenshire Council commits to replacing Llanelli's Ysgol Heol Goffa as two options mooted
Carmarthenshire Council has committed to replacing Llanelli's only special school, after proposals which were years in the making were last year scrapped due to rising costs.
Ysgol Heol Goffa was established in the early 1970s and accommodates 75 pupils, but it cannot meet the current demand for education provision for children with additional learning needs.
Plans to build a new school to replace Ysgol Heol Goffa were first announced eight years ago in 2017, after an inspection found that the learning environment was "adequate" and "areas of the school building, limit significantly the range of learning opportunities that can take place on site".
But last year the local authority decided not to press ahead with the plans, citing increasing project costs.
That decision sparked anger among campaigners, and the council commissioned an independent review of ALN provision in the Llanelli area.
The review's findings were published in February this year, with six potential options presented. At a meeting on Monday, 16 June, the Plaid Cymru-run council's cabinet decided it will consider two of those options, which both include a new school and increased ALN provision.
The two options being considered are:
Building a new 150-pupil special school, and develop proposals to build one primary and one secondary specialist centre for pupils with autistic spectrum conditions attached to mainstream schools.
Building a new 250-pupil special school to include provision for pupils with autistic spectrum conditions.
Councillors have asked council officers for further details on feasibility and costs before making a final decision "as soon as possible".
Darren Price, leader of Carmarthenshire Council, told ITV Cymru Wales: "Clearly, we are facing increased demand for ALN provision across the county.
"It's no different to other parts of Wales, but what we recognise is we need to invest in new, modern facilities, to deliver that ALN provision in the town."
Asked if there will be a new building for Heol Goffa, Cllr Price said: "Absolutely.
"The previous proposal that we had in Llanelli was for a 120-pupil school for Heol Goffa. The work that (consultant) David Davies has carried out on our behalf has shown that that school would have been too small on day one, so there's a need to go to at least 150 pupils for any new provision.
"We absolutely understand the frustration that's been felt by school staff, pupils and parents and the wider community and we want to get this decision done as soon as possible so we can get on and invest in those key provisions for Llanelli.
"Heol Goffa and ALN provision in Llanelli is a key priority for us... Heol Goffa is certainly at the top of the agenda and it's one of the schools we want to be investing in as soon as possible."
Asked if families would have to wait another eight years for a new, bigger school building, he said: "Absolutely not. That certainly isn't the intention. We want to proceed as soon as possible."
As for confidence in funding being there to invest in new school infrastructure, the council leader said: "Certainly, we've got concerns in terms of the funding envelope we have as a council in terms of investing, in terms of our school estate.
"That's no different to any other council. I think there are frustrations across the country in terms of how much money we've got to invest in capital schemes, and that of course is why we've had to review the situation with Heol Goffa.
"We've got a fixed level of funding that we can invest in terms of schools and there's a duty on us to look at that funding in the most diligent way possible, but one thing we are absolutely clear on is that the provision of ALN facilities in Llanelli is a top priority for the council and we hope to see progress on that as soon as possible."
In response, the leader of the Labour group at Carmarthenshire Council, Deryk Cundy, said he was furious that no hard and fast timeline for the new school had been agreed.
"They have kicked this into the long grass yet again," Cllr Cundy said. "They just can't seem to make a decision.
"It's a kick in the teeth for the parents. All the time they are delaying, the prices for building a new school are going up and up."
School campaigner and Lliedi ward town councillor Shaun Greaney said: "I'm frightened the delays could actually jeopardise the whole project.
"Labour has committed to funding 75 per cent of the total cost from Welsh Government, but we don't know what will happen at the Senedd elections next year.
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