DESPITE overwhelming opposition from staff, governors and parents at Pembroke Primary School, Chepstow, Monmouth-shire's cabinet has agreed to reduce its intake to 210 pupils.

In place of the current school there will be a one-form entry 210-place primary school, plus a new nursery, space for Blubells playgroup and a Special Educational Needs unit catering for children with severe disabilities from the south of the county.

Cllr Peter Fox, the cabinet member for lifelong learning said something had to be done about the 339 surplus places in Chepstow, and significant investment has already been made at the other two primary schools - Thornwell and The Dell.

He added: "Reducing the numbers on roll at Pembroke Primary School still leaves 129 surplus places. There is no specialist SEN provision in the south, and more than 50 per ent of pupils at the unit in Overmonnow Primary School, Monmouth travel from this area."

He said the plans for a new SEN unit were welcomed by everyone. But there was almost unanimous opposition from staff, governors, parents, neighbours and Chepstow town councillors to any sale of the land at Pembroke School, and he gave an undertaking that those views had been taken on board and they would not dispose of the land. Instead it will be used for parking and security of the site.

There is also opposition from staff, governors and parents to a reduction from a 420-place school to half its size. Instead they suggested a 315-place school, but Cllr Fox said this would not adequately reduce the number of surplus places.

He said: "We are clearly concerned about causing the minimum disruption to children during the deelopment so we will make sure there will be none."

Cllr Chris Woodhouse congratulated the lifelong learning department on their work in providing state-of-the-art schools and said he was pleased an SEN unit would be added at Pembroke Primary.