Eleventh hour bid to save school from demolition

A last-minute petition to purchase a school at risk of being engulfed by a landslip has been launched by residents of a Swansea Valley village.

Plans to demolish Godre’rgraig Primary School were confirmed back in February, as a consequence of the long-standing fears over a nearby landslip.

The primary school has been closed since 2019 when concerns of a landslip from a nearby quarry spoil tip forced students to relocate to temporary portable classrooms on the sports field adjoining Cwmtawe Community School.

The site, which is scheduled for demolition on 8 April, is part of a complex situation that has previously been described as a potentially multi-million pound headache for the local council, as it looks to re-home pupils, while finding Welsh Government funding to build a new school in the village.

Eleventh hour

Residents of Godre’r Graig have now launched an eleventh hour bid to gain permission to purchase the building from Neath Port Talbot council.

Launched yesterday, the petition has raised nearly 200 signatures in 24 hours.

The petition states: “It has stood empty for nearly 5 years and is due to be demolished starting on Monday 8th April.

“Whilst many of us have been in communication with the council over the years, It is clear that the building will no longer be used as a school.

“This structure is part of Godre’r Graig’s heritage and it is vital to protect it, saving it for future generations. In private ownership this building has the potential to benefit this community in many ways.

“Neath Port Talbot council have considerable costs ahead of them with the demolition of the old school. We are asking for the opportunity to purchase the building and to save the council this expense.

“Please sign here if you support the residents with the purchase request for this heritage building.”

Demolition

News of the demolition was first announced in December 2022 after councillors ruled out two other options to re-open the school, including removing the quarry spoil tip or building a retaining structure above the school to catch any falling material.

It was also followed by a meeting of Neath Port Talbot Council in November 2023, where they approved a series of new school project submissions to the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning funding programme – with one submission for a new English medium school worth £17 million, to replace Godre’rgraig Primary on Gnoll Road.

However, at the time Labour opposition members argued that there was still a lot of work to be done before construction on the school would begin, adding that at such an early stage there was no guarantee the plans would actually be approved by the Welsh Government.

Parents have also raised concerns, fearing that the demolition of the current site before any funding is found to create a new one could result the closure of the school altogether.