A DECISION to block plans for a Welsh-language secondary school in Newport has been met with dismay.

The £17 million application for the new facility at the site of Duffryn High School in Lighthouse Road was refused by Newport City Council’s planning committee today, Wednesday, leaving 900 Welsh-speaking pupils in the area with an uncertain future.

Members voted five to one against the plans after hearing Natural Resources Wales had expressed concerns about the likelihood the site could flood, despite the application being led by the council itself, to shouts of dismay from the group of about 40 parents sitting in the public gallery.

The decision also means plans to build a much-needed new classroom block at Duffryn High – to be renamed John Frost School in honour of the leader of the 1839 Chartist Rising – will also now not go ahead, and a funding agreement with the Welsh Government has been lost.

Speaking after the decision the school’s headteacher Jon Wilson said he felt “very let down”.

“It’s a devastating blow for Duffryn High,” he said.

“It’s difficult to reconcile how we’ve got to this point when the development would have been of benefit to both schools.

“I find it hard to understand how it ended up being turned down when the new buildings were designed to withstand some flooding.

“We are feeling very let down by the planning committee.”

Although he added he understood there would still be some level of investment into the existing school, Mr Wilson said he had been told there was no scope for appealing against the decision.

An emergency meeting for parents has been called at Duffryn High for 4.30pm tomorrow.

The new developments were initially due to be complete by this September, with a governing body and headteacher for the Welsh school having already been appointed, an access road built and pupils from Newport and south Monmouthshire offered places. But in November last year parents were told their children would instead have to share space at primary Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon in Brynglas Drive until the building was complete.

The decision prompted a furious reaction from supporters of the plan on Facebook.

Donna Davies wrote: “Now what NCC? The argument that Welsh is not necessary and a drain on the public purse is very outdated. By having a Welsh comp is not forcing Welsh on the people of Newport, it is providing parents like me the opportunity to raise my child to be bilingual. That is a skill most countries already provide.”

Sarah Lewis said: “All this because of risk of flooding, what about all the houses they are STILL building? Surely they shouldn't be given the go ahead because lives would be at the same risk. Also if this risk is so bad why are they not doing something to the current school?”

A Newport City Council spokeswoman said the authority was still legally required to provide Welsh-language secondary education regardless of yesterday’s decision and had begun work to find another location.

“The council is now scheduling urgent talks with Welsh Government to secure funding of a new school at another location in the city, as soon as one can be identified,” she said. The council has previously said the Duffryn site was the only suitable location for the new school.

Monmouthshire County Council’s 21st century schools programme manager Simon Kneafsey said the authority – which was also involved in the application – remained committed to ensuring Welsh-speaking children had the facility to learn in their native language.

A meeting will be held at Newport Civic Centre at 4.30pm on Friday to explain the council’s next steps.

TIMELINE: Welsh-language school plans.

  • December 2013: The idea of a Welsh-language school in Newport is first suggested.
  • May 2014: Duffryn High School is revealed as the site of the proposed school.
  • February 2015: The Welsh Government approves Newport City Council’s outline business case for the new school.
  • March 2016: A six-week consultation into the plans was launched. Results showed nearly 80 per cent were in favour of a Welsh-language school in Newport.
  • September 2015: The detailed planning application was submitted.
  • November 2015: It was announced the school would not be complete by September 2016, as previously planned, and pupils already accepted to start then would instead share space at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon in Brynglas Drive.
  • February 3, 2016: Application turned down by Newport City Council’s planning committee. The Argus understands the council will not be allowed to appeal.