Work starts on new £8 million school in Newtown

The school in Newtown will provide education for up to 300 pupils and will replace the town's current Welsh language school Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd.

The new school is being built on land at the town's high school in Dolfor Road.

It comes following years of campaigning by parents and Welsh language supporters for a new school to serve the area and has been hailed as a "great boost" for the region.

Powys County Council said it has received 50 per cent of its funding from the Welsh Assembly, with the rest coming from the council itself.

Council bosses said work should be completed by December, with the school ready to take pupils at some point early next year.

Main contractors Wilmott Dixon Construction moved on to the site yesterday.

Russell George, Montgomeryshire AM and a county councillor for Newtown, hailed the move as a great boost for the town.

He said: "This is fantastic news for Newtown and the surrounding area as the current facilities at Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd are outdated and not fitting for a modern school.

"Campaigners have been fighting for this for more than a decade and I am delighted to see the first spade has now gone into the ground.

"It is a great step for the town and Welsh medium education in the area. Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd has been a hugely popular school and there is a real need for a Welsh language school which can accommodate all the children who wish to attend."

Councillor Joy Jones, another of the town's county councillors, said: "It is great news to see work on the school beginning.

"It will be a huge boost for the families of children who wish to attend and a real feather in the cap of Newtown for having such a modern, new facility."

The funding from the Welsh Assembly comes from under the 21st Century Schools Programme. Initial groundworks were carried out in July last year after planning permission was granted in 2012.

A previous Estyn report carried out at Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd highlighted "significant deficiencies in the school accommodation".

Meanwhile, a "meet the contractor" event will be held at Newtown Football Club on January 27 at 11am.

Businesses can attend to find out about opportunities to become a sub-contractor on the project.