Special school to be built after 'year of torment'

Proposals to build a new special needs school have been given the go ahead after a "year of torment".

It comes after Carmarthenshire council said last year it was not possible to continue with the original plan in Llanelli due to construction costs.

About 300 campaigners protested in September 2024 claiming the council broke a promise to fund a new building for Ysgol Heol Goffa.

Owen Jenkins, chairman of governors at the school, welcomed the news, adding: "We'll be keeping the pressure on the local authority to make sure that we do get what was promised eight years ago."

The unanimous vote comes after multiple U-turns over plans for the school.

A replacement school was first proposed in 2017 which was due to be relocated and expanded to meet demand.

In May 2024, the council said it would not go ahead with plans due to financial pressures which led to protests by parents.

The council commissioned an independent review of additional learning needs (ALN) provision in the area which was published in February outlining six options for the school and ALN.

Two of those were formally proposed to the council on Monday by Glynog Davies, Plaid Cymru cabinet member for education, and both involve building a new special school.

During the meeting he said "children's welfare is an obvious priority" along with balancing the costs involved.

One of the proposals would see a school created for 150 pupils which is estimated to cost £27.3m - £35.4m as well as developing proposals to build one primary and one secondary specialist centre for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) attached to mainstream schools.

Another would see a review and revision of the current proposal to build a new special school and design it to include a provision for pupils with ASC with capacity for 250 pupils costing between £36.2m and £51.2m.

After the meeting, Mr Jenkins said it came as a "relief" for the school after a "year of torment".

He thanked the community for the "depth of feeling and love" towards the pupils and staff and said he looked forward to a "positive dialogue" with the council moving forward.