Cabinet members have unanimously approved holding local discussions over plans for a new £5m school in Gwynedd.

Ysgol Treferthyr in Criccieth currently has 114 pupils, just short of the school’s capacity of 119.

But Gwynedd Council said it will now forge ahead with proposals to build a replacement school, which could also call into question the future of nearby Ysgol Llanystumdwy.

“The condition of the school building at Treferthyr is a very poor one in all honesty and one of the worst we have in the county at the moment,” outgoing education portfolio holder, Cllr Gareth Thomas, told last week’s Cabinet meeting in Caernarfon.

“It certainly needs some attention and, despite some money having been spent on it, it remains within category C.

“We’ve learnt some lessons as part of the school reorganisation programme and when you build a new school you tend to find that many children return to their natural catchment area.

“Therefore, we need to build a new school that can accommodate all the children of the catchment area and I think it’s fair to say that many are not doing so at present due to the condition of the building. As a result, we need to assess what effect it could have on neighbouring schools as well.”

He added that Ysgol Llanystumdwy had asked to be “part of the discussion.”

Council officers admitted that changing the catchment area would ‘complicate matters’ but felt that a long-term solution would work best.

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