Next week, Newport City Council’s cabinet will consider a proposal to demolish the current Millbrook Primary School building in Bettws.
Parents and staff have already been informed that the intention is to build a new school and an application for match funding will be made to the Welsh Government under the next phase of the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme.
In the meantime, the school will remain at its temporary home in the former Adult Training Centre in Brynglas as the priority is to ensure the children’s education continues in a safe environment.
The Bettws site was closed after potential structural problems were discovered in the building last summer.
Further investigation work was undertaken by a specialist company which recommended that the school should not be reopened in its present condition.
While the building has been vacant, it has been subjected to regular break-ins, antisocial behaviour and vandalism despite extensive efforts to secure the building.
The council has engaged with Gwent Police and South Wales Fire Service to find ways to mitigate the risks and is securing 24-hour security for the site.
Demolition will require planning permission and a contractor will have to be procured but once the tender is awarded, the successful company will be expected to make the site secure. It is hoped that the work can be carried out as early as possible next year if the cabinet approve the proposal.
