A CHEPSTOW school devastated by a blaze two years ago will get a new infants building.

On Tuesday Monmouthshire council’s planning committee unanimously gave the go-ahead for an extension at Thornwell Primary to begin.

The school was gutted by a fire in June 2011, destroying the infants building and the nursery unit.

Since the blaze, the infants have been accommodated in temporary buildings on the site.

The new, singlestorey building will be built on an existing playground and bring the school together under one roof.

The new build will include a £112,000 sprinkler system as part of the improvements, but the council said it would not spend a further £237,319.50 on installing a sprinkler system in the old part of the school building.

Addressing the committee, Councillor Armand Watts said the decision was “longoverdue”.

He said: “I do not believe it should take two years for this authority to put an application such as this one before the committee.

“It beggars belief.

“This is long overdue and we must push ahead with this as quickly as possible.”

Cllr Watts voiced concern about the close proximity to residents and the loss of part of the site, due to alterations to the school boundary.

“We are giving up a successful school garden.

To lose that would be a travesty.

“We are funding the school, not with 21st century money, but by selling off a piece of land.

“Frankly, it is not good enough.”

Cllr Dimitri Batrouni echoed his fellow councillor sentiments.

He said: “We need this school desperately and as quickly as possible.”