A COUNCILLOR has voiced concerns over the Vale of Glamorgan Council's proposals to build a £21.9 million extension to Ysgol Y Deri.

The council are proposing to buy Welsh Government owned land at Lower Cosmeston Farm to build a special educational needs school expansion for Ysgol Y Deri.

This would be a significant distance from the existing school on Sully Road.

Cllr Anthony Ernest has voiced his concerns over the move, citing the distance from the existing site and the potential of increased traffic through Penarth.

"I think the concerns are that for one, why build an extension to an existing school two miles away?" said Cllr Ernest.

"That means a split site with split staffing and a split administration.

"Secondly, that land at the moment is allocated for housing and of course, it will take a substantial amount of that of that land away.

"There are other issues such as traffic generation because most of the youngsters who come to the school, they don't come on a school bus.

"A lot of them come by private taxis and private vehicles, so it's going to add to the amount of traffic in the area.

"Nobody's denying that there's a need for for additional special needs education, but I think the the queries are: should it be built on the existing site with the existing school being enlarged, or does the council spend one heck of a lot more money on a brand new site?"

It is true that the costs of the new site have gone up, as they were originally predicted to be around £11 million but in 2021 this was increased to £12.1 million.

With costs rising to £21.9 million, the council is seeking a Welsh Government grant to help fund the project.

A determination on this is expected later this month.

No land purchase is agreed until planning consent has been granted for the proposal, which is expected to be decided on in November this year.

However, the council has stated that it would not be possible to build on the existing site of the school.

Indeed, it has not been possible to build on any council-owned land, which has prompted the proposal to purchase more land.

Cllr Rhiannon Birch, cabinet member for education, arts and the Welsh language, said: “Through the BBC’s fantastic documentary, Ysgol Y Deri: A Special School, we have seen how crucial specialist teaching and support is for pupils with additional learning needs.

“Since Ysgol Y Deri was built eight years ago, the numbers of pupils with complex additional learning needs have risen steadily.

"We now have over 300 pupils in a school that was originally built for 205.

"We desperately need to establish another school building as we expect these numbers to keep on rising, and have been working closely with the school over the last few years to meet demand.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible to expand on the existing school site so we must look for another nearby location.

"The new school building would specifically cater for primary age children with additional learning needs and be designed to provide the best possible learning experience for these young people, and the staff who support them.

"It is vital that we provide all children in the county with the environment and specialist provision they need to flourish.

“Ysgol y Deri is the only special school in the Vale of Glamorgan so it is crucial that it can meet the needs of all our children who have complex needs.

"Without this provision there would be no option but to look to other local authorities or private providers to educate our most vulnerable pupils, this would not only be detrimental to their wellbeing but would be at huge cost to council tax payers."