PLANS for the new

Monmouth Comprehensive School have been rejected by the majority of the town council planning committee following a meeting on Monday evening (30th March).

Councillors met, with members of the public attending, to discuss the plans and make their

recommendations to county council.

The Welsh Government's 21st Century Schools Project is providing £19 million, match funded by Monmouthshire County Council (MCC), to build the new school.

In total, £80 million is being given out country-wide by the Welsh Government for four mainstream secondary schools, two of which are in Monmouth and Caldicot. The money is also funding further work in the primary sector, including a new school in Raglan.

The aim of the scheme is to build a new school for 1,600 pupils, which will last for the next 60 years.

At Monday's meeting, County Councillor Bob Hayward expressed his concerns for the proposed size of the new school, because the current building houses 1,630 pupils. Also, according to the 21st Century Schools Liaison Officer, Cath Sheen, the numbers are forecast to rise to 1,700 by 2018.

The new swimming pool, now incorporated into the funding for the new school, and due to be built alongside the present leisure centre, is also mired in controversy.

The plan is for a 25 metre by 8.5 metre four lane pool with a mixed changing and shower room, but according to Cllr Hayward, this was meant to have been bigger.

"Promises have not been kept" he said. "We were always told that the plans would show a four lane pool, but Bob Greenland, (cabinet member responsible for leisure services), said in this very room that funding would be in place for a six lane pool."

He added that they are now building a pool for the town and the school that is going to last for 60 years that is already too small.

He claimed the problem lies with the Welsh Government who have an agenda to keep the school small and the government want the children of Monmouth, Usk and Raglan to go to Chepstow to fill that school up. "56 pupils were turned away from Monmouth last year because there were not enough places, and MCC projections are that by 2018, there will be 1,700 in the Monmouth catchment area," he added.

"When I asked Simon Kneafsey (programme manager of the 21st century school project) and Liz Hacket Pain (cabinet member for children and young people) why they are building a school that is already too small, I was told categorically that were going to keep the pupils from the Forest out.

"This is the biggest single investment for years for the children of Monmouthshire and it's their future at stake and we are building a school that is too small."

His answer was to delay the plans further to get the funding in place. "The children need the best we can give them and this plan is not right," he added.

Cllr Jeana Hall hit back by saying that they had to go on that number of pupils by law and there is nothing they can do about it.

Cllr Stephen Davis said the school needs to go be re-located in Rockfield where they can have a blank canvas and start from scratch.

Six councillors supported Cllr Haywards recommendation to refuse the plans and two voted against.

The plan will now go before MCC's planning committee in June.

• Members of the public had the chance to air their views on the plans for the new school last night (Monday 30th March) but councillors were visibly annoyed that the conversation was taken up by complaints that the pool was too small and the changing room was not segregated.

Although some comments on the completion date of the school and the proximity to nearby houses were made, the discussion was centred on the short-comings of the plans for the pool.

Cllr Jeana Hall said: "This discussion tonight has nothing to do with the pool, apart from the windows overlooking the bedroom, the school for the children has not been spoken about whatsoever which I am very upset about. I have swum in many pools and showered in an open area, males and females, nobody raped anyone else or showed anything rude. I don't find four lanes to be a problem at all. We are talking about a school for these children!"