A FINAL consultation will take place on plans to expand a Cwmbran special school.

Torfaen council’s cabinet has agreed to publish a statutory notice for 28 days on the proposal to expand Crownbridge School in Croesyceiliog.

If given the go-ahead, the school could provide an additional 50 places to students.

The proposal has been put forward because the school is “oversubscribed and the demand for places is expected to increase further” and the cost of placing pupils in other special schools out of the area is very high.

The statutory notice would be the final step in the process before a final decision is made on the plans.

So far, the council has undertaken an initial consultation, which took place at the end of last year.

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There were no objections raised in the consultation.

The expansion is expected to cost £6.9 million, of which 75 per cent will be funded by the Welsh Government, and 25 per cent by Torfaen County Borough Council.

A report says that the school has been oversubscribed for the last few years, with some pupils being refused places.

When students cannot be catered for within the county, some are being sent out to a private provider, which can cost the council £90,000 a year, compared to an in-house cost of £32,000.

Crownbridge School was built with a capacity of 80, but the pressures of oversubscription has led to the repurposing of some specialist areas and meeting rooms to allow 95 pupils to be on the roll.

The council report says the extra 50 placements would save £2.9 million a year if all places are taken up.

If approved, the extension is expected to be completed by December 2023.