PLANS for a new three-19 school in Abergavenny, described as one of the most significant developments in the town for a generation, have been lodged with Monmouthshire council.

The proposed new all-through school on the current site of King Henry VIII School will include capacity for 1,900 pupils, including flying-start, nursery, lower school, upper school and sixth form.

It will replace King Henry VIII and Deri View schools, and is intended to be completed in time for the September 2024 term.

The existing school will then be demolished, allowing for new sports facilities to be built.

Under the plans, the new school will have 20 Flying Start places for toddlers, 30 nursery places, 180 foundation phase places, 120 primary places, 600 middle phase places, 720 upper school places and 200 sixth form places.

South Wales Argus: How a proposed \'teaching courtyard\' could look. Picture: Rio Architects/ Monmouthshire council

How a proposed 'teaching courtyard' could look. Picture: Rio Architects/Monmouthshire council 

Specialist provision for children with complex neurodevelopmental and learning needs will also be included, with 71 places provided.

New spaces will also be available for community use, including a sports hall, sports pitches and classrooms for adult education.

The plans show that the lower school will be located close to a stream and woodland, to allow for a supervised forest school.

A new public pedestrian and cycle route is also proposed across the site.

A design and access statement says the plans will provide a “high quality” development, for the school to deliver “first class school education for the communities in and around Abergavenny”.

The statement also says the plans demonstrate the “consideration and community involvement” carried out in forming the development.

South Wales Argus: An image showing how the new school could look. Picture: Rio Architects/ Monmouthshire council

An image showing how the new school could look. Picture: Rio Architects/Monmouthshire council 

It comes after concerns were raised that a pre-application consultation was carried out partly during the Christmas break.

Abergavenny Town Council’s environment committee said it was unable to reply to the consultation due to it being held over the festive season and because of Covid-19 restrictions on meeting.

It expressed “disappointment at the brevity of the timing of the consultation period” for the development which it said was “likely to be the largest development of the decade” for the town.

Monmouthshire council said the timing of the consultation was due to “extremely tight timescales” associated with submitting the plans, and that it was unable to extend the period.

However it said there will be an opportunity for residents to comment on the proposals as part of the planning application.

Abergavenny councillors Mary Ann Brocklesby and Maggie Harris also raised concerns over the consultation.

They said: “It is disappointing and astonishing that the public has been supplied with 80+ documents, without summary guidance and just prior to Christmas, leaving little time to provide a full and considered response.”

They added they have no objections to the plans, describing the school as “the most significant social and economic development for Abergavenny and the surrounding area for a generation”.

The cost of the development has previously been estimated at around £50-million, with 65 per cent of the cost funded by Welsh Government and 35 per cent by the council as part of its 21st century schools programme.

The plans will be considered over the coming months.