A PLAN to replace an ageing, crumbling high school with a new £66m building in Holyhead has won Welsh Government backing.
It means that Anglesey Council is now a step closer towards delivering a modern building for Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi.
The Welsh Government has approved plans to relocate 11 to 18-year-old learners to a school building near Holyhead Leisure Centre, subject to the successful procurement of land.
The decision now brings a statutory consultation process to an end.
The high school was one of the first, along with Ysgol David Hughes at Menai Bridge, hit by the RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) crisis in 2023.
The current school site is located between South Stack Road and Porth y Felin Road. Some of its buildings were constructed during the 1960s and early 1970s, with various later additions, but some classrooms date back to the 1940s.
The school has needed costly maintenance to keep it running.
Over the years Anglesey Council has considered various options, eventually proposing relocating pupils to a newly-built £66m school on the favoured site near to the leisure centre.
The current site was also in the council’s “top 10 buildings in terms of high carbon emissions” whilst the new building was described as being net zero “once in operation”.
Anglesey Council’s director of education, skills and young people, Aaron C Evans, said: “We’re delighted that Welsh Government has given its seal of approval for a new building for Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi.
“Creating a modern, purpose-built school building represents a major investment in education in Caergybi and its catchment area. We believe this project will secure the long-term sustainability of secondary education locally and provide specialist learning spaces of the highest standard.”
He added: “A new building and facilities will contribute towards ensuring the best possible experiences and outcomes for our young people, while fully supporting the council’s aims of ‘Modernising Learning Communities and Developing the Welsh Language Strategy’.”
The proposal would aim to see the current school facilities on Alderly Terrace close in summer 2030, with a new secondary school building opening in autumn 2030.
Anglesey Council’s chief executive, Dylan J. Williams, added: “Welsh Government approval without any modifications marks an important milestone in our plans to provide high-quality, sustainable education for young people in Caergybi.
“A modern new learning environment at Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi would ensure that pupils have access to the best facilities and opportunities available.
“These proposals also support one of the council’s key strategic aims – education – by helping to ensure effective provision today and long into the future.”
The statutory planning process will now be followed before any works can begin.
