Safety concerns raised over school relocation plan

Dale Spridgeon, Local democracy reporter

Concerns over the safety of children getting to a proposed new school building are among the issues raised amid objections to relocate a high school.

The potential for traffic issues, anti-social behaviour and the loss of a building’ with “significant” local history were also highlighted in an Objection Report over plans for Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi.

The ageing school in Holyhead was one of the first blighted during the RAAC concrete crisis in 2023, and needs costly maintenance to keep running.

Anglesey County Council has considered various options, but proposed  relocating pupils to a newly built school at an estimated cost of £66 million.

The preferred site is on land near to the Holyhead Leisure Centre.

Consultation, objections and next steps

Public views were sought in the summer, showing 79%  in favour and 21% against relocation.

The council executive will now consider a Objection Report following  the outcome of a recent statutory consultation when it meets on Tuesday, January 6.

The council had to  publish its intention to progress the proposal  to relocate the school through a statutory notice which was published on November 6, 2025.

A statutory period of 28-days for objections ended on December 3, 2025, with “two valid objections” received – although responses  included more than one reason. A third objection was considered invalid.

At the New Year meeting, following consideration of the Objection Report, the executive will be asked to consider recommendations.

They will include proceeding with the proposal to relocate, to approve the submission of the Objection Report to Welsh Ministers for a  final decision, to authorise officers to issue notice of a final decision, and to commit the Council’s contribution towards the project.

Concerns over transport, safety and community impact

Among the issues raised in the report, one objection had considered the new school being “too far out of town”.

“Most children will live within three miles of the proposed new site, so will not qualify for transport,” it stated.

“It is unfair to expect children to walk just under three miles to and from school every day, especially in winter months”.

The council had responded by saying that officers had conducted a “detailed options appraisal” of potential sites.

The site near Holyhead Leisure Centre was the only one “meeting all the requirements” and large enough at 19 acres.

It was just over a mile away from the current school, and although it was “likely” there would be “additional travelling times and distances for some learners” this would be “less for others” the council said.

Other issues raised included an “increased risk of accidents/poor road safety for children with additional needs who cannot be expected to walk such a distance without support” .

The council response has pointed to its “duty” to provide travel assistance, noting it provided free school transport for full time secondary school learners, residing three miles or more from the school in whose catchment area they reside (except for 6th form learners / further education students” and pointed to further information being int its Council’s School Transport Policy.

Concerns that “children would feel unsafe/uncomfortable walking to and from school in the darker months, be “uncomfortable with public transport” and that “many parents did not have a car” were also noted.

The council report pointed to its work and assessments, including Traffic Impact Assessment or Traffic Flow Surveys, undertaken as part of the planning application.

Further traffic assessments would  involve assessing travel routes,  pedestrian access and school bus routes.

Historical school building and environmental concerns 

That the school had been there for “many decades and held “significant local history” was also a concern.

The council’s response highlighted the school’s Grade C’ rating – ‘operational but major repair or replacement needed in the short to medium term’.

It noted the school had a “lack of suitable playing fields,” the presence of RAAC, and that  current “safety mitigations were only medium-term solutions”.

“The current and projected future maintenance spend was £28,985,743” and the school building “only partially” met the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 with “significant accessibility issues” and there was “no obligation” on the council to keep the current site or building.

However, it noted that the proposal had “not been formally approved” and  no decision made over any future use of the building or site.

The impact on the Kingsland area community, including traffic, anti social behaviour, carbon footprint, pollution were also raised.

The council response again described traffic assessments, Traffic Impact Assessment or Traffic Flow Surveys  undertaken,  as part of the planning application as well as further work to support the planning application.

The current building was in the Parc a’r Mynydd ward, statistics  had showed that anti-social behaviour offences were “already occurring more prevalent in the Kingsland than Parc a’r Mynydd”.

Regarding carbon  emissions,  it noted the school building was in the Council’s “top 10 buildings in terms of high carbon emissions” whilst the new building would be “net zero once in operation”.