School’s ‘thorny’ issue resolved so £12m project can go ahead

The county councillor threatening to object to a new route for a public footpath around Welshpool’s new £12m Welsh-speaking primary school said he is now content with extra safeguarding measures promised and will fully back the new development.

It means that the final hurdle to starting the project has been overcome and work can finally begin on Ysgol Gymraeg Y Trallwng at the Maesydre site.

Last week, Cllr Phil Pritchard threatened to block the development with an objection that could have seen a delay of more than a year, placing it in danger due to the time limit on the 50% of budget funds available from the Welsh Government.

He feared that the new route for the footpath, running alongside part of the perimeter, gave access for “every Tom, Dick or Harry, and paedofile” to the children, despite a 2.4m fence being in place.

But he is now content that following his site meeting with Powys County Council officers, he has been told that a thorny hedgerow will also be planted. 

A Powys County Council spokesperson confirmed: “A security fence around the school’s green area will be fully planted to provide another level of security for the learners that will attend the new school building.”

The project has been beset by problems from the start with a group of ex-pupils successfully listing the crumbling school building, adding huge expense and extending the original timeline.