CAMPAIGNERS battling plans to build a school on a former landfill site are to meet with Newport education officials, to find out what is happening with the scheme.

Plans to replace the Durham Road Schools on the Glebelands site, through a Private Finance Initiative, are being delayed because of "issues to be resolved with developers" according to Newport city council.

Protesters are concerned at health implications for children, as the site is contaminated with heavy metals and toxic chemicals.

But city councillors voted to press ahead with the school last year after hearing how the land could be made safe by putting a concrete cap over it before building.

Earlier this month, Beechwood ward Councillor Hugh Clark asked for a progress report and Council Leader Sir Harry Jones pledged to report back with an update at the earliest opportunity.

Full council meets again tomorrow - but it is unlikely the report on Durham Road School will be ready.

And John Martin, chairman of the Glebelands Action Group, says he is tired of waiting for information.

He has written three times to Newport's Head of Education David Griffiths requesting a meeting, and Mr Griffiths has now agreed to meet with GAG members tomorrow afternoon along with St Julians councillors Alan Perry, Fred Sweeting and John Marks.

Mr Martin said: "Mr Griffiths has told us that there is very little news to discuss but we are tired of being kept in the dark. So many people in this area do not want a school built on a contaminated site.

"We're not enemies of the school as some people seem to think. We want new buildings for Durham Road School but we want them built in a safe place."

Mr Martin added that as full council is meeting in the morning he hoped some new information will be available.

"I'd be disappointed if an update didn't materialise tomorrow. We will have been fighting this scheme for 13 years in July and none of the pieces are fitting together after all this time."

* An Audit Commission report last week said traditional funding delivered, on average, better school buildings than the early PFI schools. The report acknowledged "PFI still has huge potential to improve the quality of schoolst" but "the early PFI schools have not been built cheaper, better or quicker and learning from this early experience is crucial".