A FINAL decision will be made next week on whether to go ahead with plans to expand a Cwmbran special school.

No objections were received in the final consultation on plans to extend Crownbridge School in Croesyceiliog by 50 places.

The proposal has been put forward because the school is “oversubscribed and the demand for places is expected to increase further”.

In the initial consultation stage, which took place at the end of last year, several comments were raised, but none of them were objections to the proposals.

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The expansion is expected to cost £6.9 million, of which 75 per cent will be funded by the Welsh Government, and 25 per cent by Torfaen County Borough Council.

A Torfaen council report said that the school has been oversubscribed for the last few years with some pupils being refused places.

When students can’t be catered for within the county, some are being sent out to a private provider, which can cost the authority £90,000 a year compared to an in-house cost of £32,000.

Crownbridge School was built with a capacity of 80, but the pressures of oversubscription has led to the repurposing of some specialist areas and meeting rooms to allow 95 pupils to be on the roll.

The council report says the extra 50 placements would save £2.9 million a year if all places were taken up.

The expansion is set to be completed by January 2024 if approved by the cabinet member for education at Torfaen council, Cllr Richard Clark, next week.