PLANS to create a brand new primary school in Monmouthshire moved a step closer this week.

Cabinet members decided at a meeting on Wednesday to publish statutory notices to close Green Lane Junior School and West End Infant and Nursery Schools in Caldicot and to open a new 210-place primary school and 60-place nursery on the former junior school site.

The proposals were put out for consultation between January and March where meetings were held with staff, governors, parents and the community.

The decision is part of the council’s bid to reduce surplus places in the county and will reduce the number of surplus places in the county by 117.

It would also create potential savings of £113,357.

The council has been successful in obtaining £5.6 million worth of Assembly funding towards the new building and will contribute £1.4 million to complete the building with work expected to start in May or June next year.

Cabinet members also agreed that any pupils on roll at the two current schools are guranteed a place at the proposed new school which will open on September 1, 2012.

The council will now publish the statutory notices which any objectors will have the chance to make comments on between May and July.

Any comments will then be sent to the Assembly and a final decision would be made by the Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills Leighton Andrews.

If there are no objections, the final decision to close the schools and to open the new one will be made by the council’s cabinet members.

Headteachers of both primary schools have supported the plans.

Gill Bray, West End headteacher said the move would provide "the best facility possible for the children," and Green Lane Juniors headteacher Cheryl Barker the merger is "the news everyone wanted."