Abergavenny's new school construction is on target

A £69.3 million school building project – currently under construction – remains on budget, councillors have been told. 

Monmouthshire County Council has committed to the funding for the King Henry VIII 3 to 19 School in Abergavenny, which it says will be the “first operationally net zero Carbon” school for pupils aged from three through to 19 in Wales. 

It is currently being built on the existing site of the King Henry Comprehensive and councillors were also told it is still due to open, as planned, in September 2024. 

Members of the council’s performance scrutiny committee asked if the project posed a risk to the council’s capital budget. 

Assistant chief executive Peter Davies said the school is being built under a fixed contract but some costs “could still fall back on the council”. 

Caerwent Conservative Phil Murphy said he understood the type of costs the council could have to meet were in circumstances such as an “excess amount of asbestos” had to be removed from the existing buildings. 

Mr Davies said the council’s experience was that had happened when it built new schools in Caldicot and Monmouth and that had been factored into the Abergavenny contract. 

Asked if the project is on track Mr Davies replied: “The most recent update I had, a matter of days ago, is yes construction is expected to be completed on time and pushing ahead as intended.”