Welsh Journals

Another field near the old school had to be rejected because it posed difficulties with a sewer connection. Finally, in October 1955, it was resolved to purchase a 2% acre site owned by Aberystwyth R.D.C. immediately adjoining their housing estate at Commins Coch. This site offered many advantages, a pleasant south-east aspect, easy access from the R.D.C. 's estate road, and proximity to existing electricity, water and drainage services. Appropriately, the land had formerly belonged to the Pryses of Gogerddan.3 Since a new school was urgently required, it is surprising that the building was not completed until the autumn of 1962. Moreover, the layman might imagine that the sale of a small site from one local authority to another would pose no great problems; yet it was not until the end of 1964 that the conveyance was completed.4 Here only a brief outline can be given of the problems which delayed a project gener- ally accepted as highly necessary. Because the R.D.C. wanted to change the lay-out of its site roads, the County Architect's plans made and revised in 1956 had to be revised again before both councils approved them in 1957. The Ministry of Education's approval for the purchase of the site was then sought and speedily given. Given top priority in 1957 for the major works pro- gramme of 1958-9, the new school was twice relegated, to 1959-60 and then to 1960-61. This was largely because it was not until March 1959 that the necessary 'identity of views' between the two local authorities was established to the satisfaction of the District Valuer, who then recom- mended a purchase price of £ 700 and the confirmation of the agreements between the two councils concerning boundaries and sewers. The trouble here had been that the R.D.C. was having problems with its contractor, that the completion of site works had been delayed, and that it had been unable to give the Valuer information on what part of the cost of site works should be included in the price asked of the County Council for the school site. The County Council, incidentally, agreed to contribute to the maintenance of the site roads if they were ever used by school buses, their Clerk noting that 'the possibility of using buses to convey pupils to school is very remote and need cause us no concern'. The next stage was to get the Ministry's approval of the architect's plans and the Valuer's report. Admissions at the old school were still averaging thirteen a year, and requests for the transfer of pupils from other schools had been refused because of lack of room. The sketch plans and model which the County Architect had prepared by January 1959 therefore provided for a four-classroom school. Unfortunately, a survey recently made by the L.E.A. did not anticipate any great increase in the