CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a primary school on a former Gwent waste tip will go ahead - unless the National Assembly can come up with proof to stop it.

The announcement was made yesterday by the leader of Newport council, Sir Harry Jones, who said he was concerned at the increasing costs of delaying the replacement of Durham Road School, Newport, on the town's Glebelands site.

His ruling comes despite warnings by the Children's Commissioner for Wales, Peter Clarke, that he was concerned about building the school on Glebelands.

Mr Clarke said in August that having seen a new scientific study which found a link between landfill sites and birth defects, he was "left with a degree of unease about it".

The Glebelands site has been contaminated with toxins over the years part of it was used as a tip.

But the council says the site would be cleaned up before a new school could be built.

Sir Harry said the project's working group had "serious concerns" about the delays which have taken place as a consequence of intervention from Mr Clarke.

He told a meeting of Newport council: "This has reached a stage where I assume his fears have been sufficiently allayed that he is prepared to allow us to go forward.

"I am concerned any further delay is likely to bring about increasing costs. I've written to Edwina Hart (Welsh minister responsible for local government) and unless we receive information from them to the contrary it is our intention to proceed with the scheme."

Chris Hill, a member of the Glebelands Campaign Committee which is opposed to building the school at the site, said he could understand the council's decision.

Mr Hill told the Argus: "If they say waiting is costing more money, then so be it. If this plan had been thought through properly and investigations done properly, we wouldn't be in the situation we are in now.

"They must now wait to see all the information available and do what's right by the children who would go to the school and the people who live in the area."

A spokeswoman for the National Assembly said they were not able to comment.