PLANS to merge an infant and junior school in Newtown, creating a new primary school, have been approved.

In January, the Powys County Council cabinet decided to go ahead with the  merger of  Ladywell Green Infant School, for pupils aged four to seven years, and Hafren Community Primary Junior School for seven-to-11-year-olds by September 1, 2021.

It is estimated the merger will save the council £131,885 a year.

Today the merger was rubber-stamped, with no objections having been received during the month-long consultation period for the proposals.

Education portfolio holder, Cllr Phyl Davies (Conservative – Blaen Hafren), said: “We’ve had many discussions on this item in the past and this is the report following the statutory notice that was published after the decision on January 7.

“I’m pleased to report there were no objections to the notice.”

Finance portfolio holder, Cllr Aled Davies, Conservative  – Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochanant and Llanislin) added: “It’s very straightforward.”

The cabinet agreed to close Ladywell Green Infants School and Hafren C.P. Junior School from  August  31, 2021, establishing a new English-medium primary school for pupils aged 4-11 on the current sites of on September 1, 2021.

The merger was discussed at a full council meeting on December 20 last year, at which councillors set out their views in favour of the merger.

Bu they also cautioned that the site in Newtown where these schools are located, is also where the North Powys Wellbeing Programme could build a “mini-hospital” or “wellbeing campus.”

The programme run by PCC and Powys Teaching Health Board was given £2.5 million by the Welsh Government in May 2019 to start the health and well being project.

Part of this project would be to build a facility bringing health and social services together under one roof.

It is possible that a new build school following the merger could become part of this wellbeing/health building.