Opposition to plans to move school

PARENTS have overwhelmingly opposed plans to move a small rural school in the Vale of Glamorgan into a new, bigger school.

More than 1,000 people have told Vale of Glamorgan Council they are against plans to move Llancarfan Primary School five miles down the road to a new 210-place “super primary” in Rhoose, near Barry.

Earlier this year the council launched two consultations on the plans – which would see the Llancarfan Primary moved to a new £4m facility in Rhoose to provide much-needed school places as hundreds of new homes are planned in the area.

The council says the school move would be a “unique opportunity” to improve facilities and cater for a larger population.

But campaigners have described the council’s reasoning as “deeply flawed” and said the plans would stall the school’s progress and “destroy the sense of community” in the area.

The council received 1,046 responses opposing the school move, and 82 in support of the plans.

Campaigners, who claim the council is planning to “close” the rural school, have also sent in a petition signed by 1,959 people against the plans.

A survey among Llancarfan Primary parents in June which showed only five – 12% of those who responded – would definitely send their children to the school if it was moved.

The council’s cabinet will decide whether to move forward with its plan on Monday, September 17 – and could agree to publish a statutory notice informing people of the plans and giving them 28 days to put forward any further objections before a final decision is made.