Regarding Durham Road School, as Cabinet Member for Young People’s Services, I received a letter, via the Mayor, from a pupil of the school urging the Council not to “demolish such a beautiful, old and historical school building.”

Certainly the school is held in great affection by generations of former pupils but it must be admitted that the building is well past it's sell by date and is no longer suitable for today’s dynamic teaching methods.

The community will be delighted with the new school at Glan Usk, which will open next January.

As far as the old building being used for some other purpose, such as community use, I fear that’s not in the Council’s control.

Under the PFI (Private Finance Initiative) funding arrangements for building the new school, the old site will belong to the developer who will want it for housing.

I know the residents will not want the building left empty as a target for vandals, so let’s hope the housing market picks up soon.

We hope there will be some community provision in the development.