FURTHER delays in the planning process for a new Welsh-medium primary school in Pontypool could mean it is not completed in time for the beginning of the 2021 academic year, developers have warned.

Agents dealing with the planning application for the Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw site in Trevethin have said that if work on the site cannot begin by the planned date of June 1, its completion date will be pushed back.

This, they warned, could force the council to provide temporary facilities until the school is ready for use.

The concerns were outlined by the agent in an updated report, after Torfaen County Borough councillors decided to defer the application so a second site visit could be made.

In a January meeting, the planning committee was told of concerns that the plan would involve moving the car park of an allotment site to accommodate the primary school.

In particular there were concerns that access to the adjacent allotment site was dangerous due to the poor visibility and the amount of traffic on the road.

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Minutes from the site visit say several concerns were alleviated after members were shown the amount of hedgerow that would be removed to give better visibility to the road.

While planning officers have recommended approval, councillors could still object to the application based on these access concerns.

The school would provide 210 places for primary school children and would also have its own nursery.

And, if approved, the £6.7 million development - to be fully funded by the Welsh Government - could open to pupils aged three and above in September next year.

Under the plans, the two-storey school will have provision on the lower level for nursery, reception and infant children, providing them with direct access to outdoor play areas.

There are currently 81 pupils from the Penygarn/Trevethin area who go to schools elsewhere in the borough for their Welsh medium education.

The planning application forms part of the Welsh Government’s plan to have one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

Councillors will make a decision on whether to give the go-ahead at a planning committee meeting next Tuesday, February 25.