PLANS to build a £30-million new school in Cwmbran have been given the green light by Torfaen county borough council.

The council’s planning committee met to discuss plans for a replacement 11- 16 school for Croesyceiliog Comprehensive on Tuesday. This includes demolishing the existing school and building a floodlit artificial grass pitch, external play areas and car parking while also erecting a two-storey sixth form and sports block.

However, the sixth form plans could be removed from the application at a later stage following Welsh Government’s decision on sixth form provision in Torfaen county borough. Wider council plans – under the 21st Century Schools Programme – propose removing all sixth form provision in Torfaen and replacing it with a £20-million super-college in Cwmbran.

This would see Croesyceiliog School, St Albans Roman Catholic School in Pontypool and Cwmbran High lose their sixth forms with a decision expected later this year.

Following a lengthy debate by councillors, the Croesyceiliog replacement school was passed unanimously. New school buildings are planned in front of the existing school, which will be demolished when the newly built site opens.

An all-weather pitch will be also placed where the existing school currently sits, with the developer subject to several conditions.

The proposed sports facilities would be available for community use outside school hours with the floodlit all-purpose pitch available between 5pm and 10pm on school days and 9am-10pm on weekends and school holidays.

The application adds that there are currently 1,550 pupils at the school which will decrease to 1,450 by 2022.

Torfaen CBC also confirm a proposed opening date of September 2019 and that the site will have 139 car parking spaces and 88 cycling spaces.

Councillors at the planning meeting yesterday, on Wednesday, September 26, raised concerns with officers over several issues from predicted congestion to the potentially disruptive effects of construction work.

Cllr Jon Horlor, of Pontnewynydd ward, asked about plans for a “green fence” between the development and nearby residential properties.

The committee heard that a 2.5 metre high division would be built as a “buffer” zone at certain sections of the development with the aim of creating more privacy for residents.

Cllr Jason O’Connell, of Greenmeadow ward, raised concerns about future traffic accidents at a “blind junction” between Woodland Road and Turnpike Road as traffic increases around the site.

A highways officer explained that said there were no recorded accidents at the specific junction and that the council had created a plan for traffic management.

This included separating pedestrian traffic from vehicular traffic in the design school access points.

In response to a question from Cllr Steven Evans, of Upper Cwmbran ward, officers also said several conditions have been put in place to manage traffic during the construction phase when the existing Croesyceiliog Comprehensive site is still open.

The development was passed under several conditions, including ecology and highways, which must be met before work can start.

This includes the all weather pitch’s floodlights not operating outside the hours of 9am and 10pm.

Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools programme helps councils modernise, improve and build new schools by providing 50 per cent match funding.

Croesyceiliog’s replacement will be built as part of these proposals but the future of its sixth form is subject to Welsh Government’s decision on sixth form provision in the borough.

Plans include replacing three sixth forms, including Croesyceiliog, with a £20million 1,000-place college in Cwmbran.

This week, Torfaen CBC announced that this project has been delayed to 2020 due to ongoing site surveys and exploration works.