Behind the headlines: After plans for expansion and Newport Welsh-language school were blocked - what now for Duffryn High School?

But following last Wednesday’s decision by the city council’s planning committee to throw out the plans for Duffryn High in Lighthouse Lane, suddenly it’s back to square one for parents, teachers and pupils.

So where did it all go so wrong?

The idea of a new Welsh language school in Newport was first raised late in 2013 and Duffryn High was revealed as the site of the proposed development the following May.

In February 2015 the Welsh government approved the outline business case put together by Newport City and Monmouthshire County councils for the new school, entering into a match funding agreement with the authorities.

Things looked good after a six-week consultation showed nearly 80 per cent in favour of the plans and a full planning application was submitted in September.

But the scheme hit the rocks in November, when it was announced the school would not be ready for September 2016 as previously planned.

By this point, pupils had already been accepted for the 2016-2017 academic year, but they will instead have to share space at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Teyrnon in Brynglas Drive.

It has since been revealed that in the same month the council received a report from Natural Resources Wales expressing concerns around the potential of the site for flooding and the possible danger to pupils and teachers.

This proved to be the death blow for the £17 million plans, which were ultimately thrown out by planning committee members last Wednesday.

But, while Duffryn High has not flooded since it was established in 1959 and people living in the area have said there is no record of any flooding at all since 1607, when South Wales was hit by a tsunami which left around 2,000 dead, why was the risk considered so great it was enough to throw out the entire plan?

In the report by Natural Resources Wales – which can be viewed by visiting planning.newport.gov.uk and searching for application 15/1103 – it is said the site had been assessed as being likely to flood from the River Ebbw once every 20 years, and could find itself under one metre of water once every 100 years.

The report by the organisation’s operations south development planning manager Pete Jordan described the proposed development as “highly vulnerable” and said plans to raise the buildings would not remove the potential risk to children, teachers, parents and emergency vehicles.

“The flood risks and consequences associated with the proposal are shown to be of serious concern and we believe that the most appropriate action would be to not bring new pupils into such an environment,” he wrote.

But, crucially, Mr Jordan said the authority would still have the ability to pass the application if it felt there was no alternative.

“If, as the planning authority, you are satisfied that the proposed location is the only possible location in planning terms, only then should you consider whether the above risks and consequences can be managed through measures such as emergency planning and evacuation,” he wrote.

Despite previously repeatedly claiming there was ‘no plan B’, at the second of two public meetings at the civic centre on Friday evening head of education James Harris said, although the agreement with Bro Teyrnon would have to be extended to a second year, the new Welsh school would be fully open and ready to accept pupils by September 2018.

Many have found the decision especially baffling given the application was made by the council, but was ultimately blocked by its own planning committee.

Labour member for Stow Hill Cllr Miqdad Al-Nuiami was one of the five committee members who voted against the application and was the only one to respond to request for comment from the Argus.

“The proposal by the applicant represents the intensification of a highly vulnerable development at a site within the flood plain and runs contrary to the precautionary principle of national planning policy,” he said.

“In personal terms, I have taken this decision with a very heavy heart and I appreciate the huge disappointment felt by the two schools communities.

“But in determining planning applications only material planning considerations are relevant.

“National Resources Wales, a statutory consultee's response and advice are material planning considerations.

“For me it would have been hugely irresponsible to set those aside.”

Committee chairman Cllr Paul Huntley, his Labour colleagues Cllr Val Delahaye and Cllr Jane Mudd and Conservative member Cllr Richard White also voted against the plans.

Cllr Ken Critchley was the only one to vote in favour.

The decision, not surprisingly, caused uproar among parents expecting to be able to send their children to the new school – to be named Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Iscoed after the historic name for the part of the region Newport lies in – and those looking forward to upgrades at Duffryn High, as well as Welsh language campaigners.

Leader of the Conservative group on Newport City Council Cllr Matthew Evans said he had been “inundated” with emails from concerned parents following Wednesday’s decision while Labour AM for Newport East John Griffiths said he shared parent’s concerns over the issue.

“There is a clear need to meet the increasing demand for Welsh medium education in Newport and a Welsh medium secondary school is necessary,” he said.

“I have written to the local authority and Natural Resources Wales to outline concerns expressed by constituents.

“I hope a solution can be found.”

So what now?

Although the council had vowed to have the Welsh school up and running in two year’s time, it will have to get wheels in motion immediately to make this a reality.

Although many had suggested Lliswerry High School in Nash Road as a viable alternative, the council has said this is not a viable long-term solution.

And the future seems even more unclear for Duffryn High – to be renamed John Frost School in honour of the leader of the 1839 Chartist Rising at the start of the next academic year – which is in dire need of a facelift and the new classrooms included in the application.

But last week’s decision means the previously-agreed funding with the Welsh government has been lost.

Describing last Wednesday as “the worst day of my career”, head teacher Jon Wilson has spoken openly about his disappointment at the decision.

“There was a sense of devastation as I sat and watched a group of politicians make a decision on our future on a whim,” he said.

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.

Although the council has said there is no scope for appealing against the decision – only offering “those are the rules” as an explanation – speaking on Friday a spokeswoman said the authority would work “tirelessly” to ensure it met its requirements to provide Welsh education.

“The council of course understands the disappointment and frustration being felt by many young people and their parents,” she said.

“But Wednesday’s meeting signals a delay and not the end.”

And the council may have been thrown an unexpected lifeline after the Welsh Government’s finance minister Jane Hutt announced a £23 million investment into schools in the country on Friday.

But a Welsh government spokesman said the cash had not yet been allocated to specific areas of Wales.

Meanwhile a petition has been launched calling on the two councils to “act fast” in developing new plans for a Welsh-language school in the area, and has so far attracted 171 signatures.

Liberal Democrat campaigner Michael Enea, who set up the petition, called for an investigation into the issue.

“To have over 300 students commuting to Torfaen via buses because Newport city cannot accommodate their needs must be sorted out quickly and efficiently,” he said.

To sign the petition visit newportliberaldemocrats.org.uk/welsh_language_secondary_school

Whatever the next steps are, what is certain is children, parents and teachers face a long, hard wait to see what the future of their schools is.