New school will cost £2m more than originally thought

A NEW 540 pupil super school will cost almost £2m more than originally planned, council chiefs have admitted.

Anglesey Council has already approved plans to build a new “super school” in Holyhead which will see the closure of three of the town’s primaries as part of a bid to reduce the number of empty spaces in the town’s schools.

But during Thursday’s meeting of the Corporate Scrutiny committee, it was acknowledged that project costs have risen by almost £2m to a new estimate of £10.3m.

The authority had successfully bid for 50% of the original estimated cost of £8.4m to be paid for by the Welsh Government, but has now had to turn to Cardiff for an extra million pounds towards the plan, with workers expected to be on site within weeks.

However, this also means that Anglesey Council, which is already facing cuts of £5m for next year, will have to find an additional million pounds.

The facility is being designed to accommodate 540 pupils and 75 nursery children, with the council keen to reduce the number of surplus spaces and ensuring modern resources for pupils and staff.

According to the budget monitoring report, the costs have risen from the original estimate following detailed surveys and agreement with CADW of the extent of the works required to the Grade II listed Cybi block.

The facility will accommodate 540 pupils and 75 nursery children.