THREE consultations over plans to set up nurseries at two Newport primary schools, and establish an autism unit on another, could be scrapped and start again, after a change in government guidance.

A report by the assistant head of education at Newport council, Amanda Davies, to Councillor Bob Poole recommends stopping an existing consultation process about creating nurseries at Langstone and Marshfield primary schools, and establishing an autism unit at Gaer Infants School.

The cabinet member would commission fresh reports about entering the plans onto a different school reorganisation programme, in line with a new statutory code issued by Welsh Government in October.

During previous consultation, six objections were received about setting up a nursery at Langstone primary school and a decision was made to proceed to statutory notice.

In the next two years Langstone school is to have new classrooms and its demountable classrooms replaced, and as a result officers have recommended commissioning a new report into the benefits to the community, followed by another consultation process.

During consultation about Marshfield, there were "considerable adverse comments" against the proposal due to an existing playgroup being there, and so the cabinet member decided not to move to statutory notice.

Marshfield school would need "significant investment" to host a nursery, prompting officers to recommend the current proposal to be scrapped and to commission a new report.

Due to a long delay between consultation and implementing plans to set up an autism unit at the Gaer, and the new government guidance, officers have recommended scrapping the existing plans and starting again.