Caerphilly County Borough Council has said the decision to close Cwmcarn High School over asbestos fears has been vindicated by a new report.
A management survey detailing the work needed to bring the school back into operation has been carried out by asbestos consultants Ensafe. The report has been made public by the school’s leadership.
Yesterday we reported how the school’s governors and headteacher want the school re-opened and called the original decision to close it “unnecessary and inappropriate”. It also called into question the independence of an expert brought in by the council to make sense of three differing reports on the seriousness of the asbestos risk at the school.
Commenting on the latest Ensafe management survey, Cllr Rhianon Passmore, cabinet member for education, said: “This report vindicates the difficult but correct decision we took back in October and I hope that the community will recognise we had no option but to temporarily close the school in the best interests of pupils and staff.”
The council has said the extent of asbestos contamination affecting the whole site was not known and further investigations were required.
“It is regrettable that the council were not permitted to undertake those investigations at the time, however we welcome the outcome of the management survey which re-enforces the safety concerns which the council have consistently held,” added Cllr. Passmore.
“The report clearly states that there is a comprehensive programme of work needed to remove the asbestos and reinstate the site so that it is safe for reoccupation. A figure of around £1.5 million has been quoted for this work, but we suspect the true amount could be much more once the costs have been fully analysed.”
“This report confirms there is a major asbestos problem at Cwmcarn which needs a considerable amount of time, money and effort to put right.”
“The health and wellbeing of the school community has always been paramount and I am confident that we acted properly, swiftly and decisively to protect the pupils and staff at Cwmcarn High School.”
Cwmcarn High School was closed on October 12 last year after a report by Santia Asbestos Management Ltd asked Caerphilly Council to consider whether school buildings should be demolished because of widespread airborne asbestos. Since then, the school’s pupils have relocated to the former Coleg Gwent campus in Ebbw Vale.
The local authority has said it will be considering the latest report and members will be asked to agree a way forward in the near future.