A local councillor has labelled the way that consultation on plans to develop a new Welsh medium combined Infant and Junior School on a site in Tenby, is being presented to the public by Pembrokeshire County Council, as "farcical' in light of a drop-in session that has been arranged for later this month to display plans of the proposals.

The authority plan to replace Tenby VC Infant School and Tenby Junior Community School in Heywood Lane, with an English medium primary school and a Welsh medium primary school, and implement the closures by August, 2016, with the new schools due to open the following month.

Members of the town council have raised concerns in recent months that they and the people of the town are being kept in the dark on the proposals, and have questioned why no design plans have been released to the public, when the scheme seems to be progressing beyond the consultation stage.

Clr. Mrs. Tish Rossiter raised the subject again at Tuesday night's meeting of the town council, when members were informed by the town clerk, Mr. Andrew Davies, that the county council's cabinet would decide on Monday (October 7) whether to put on hold plans to relocate Tenby library onto the Heywood Lane primary school development site.

Mr. Davies also told councillors that he had received correspondence to state that plans for the building of the new English medium primary school, to be located alongside the existing Tenby Junior School, to be redeveloped as a Welsh medium primary school, would be on display from Monday, October 21, until the following Sunday, at Tenby Leisure Centre.

Drop-in sessions where visitors can ask questions and make comments, would also take place at the Leisure Centre from 6 to 8 pm, on the Monday and Tuesday.

"We're still being kept in the dark on this development, and the issue of traffic problems in Heywood Lane doesn't bare thinking about," said Clr. Mrs. Rossiter.

"I'm angry that we've not been kept in the loop on this, and the fact that we are now being presented with information on these drop-in sessions at the Leisure Centre and an opportunity to view the plans, just makes it even more farcical, as this is a prime example of where an open public meeting needs to be held, as it affects us all.

"We've been trying for years to get traffic calming measures introduced on that road without success, so with the proximity of all three schools there, I think the county council need to go back to the drawing board on these proposals," she continued.

Her colleague, Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown, said she had also been left "fuming" by the latest actions of the county council with regards to the schools project.

"What on earth do they think they're doing. The whole town needs to be involved, it's their school and our school, almost everyone's children go there, so why can't we be told things at an early stage," she remarked.

"For them to put an advert out there to propose that the plans go on show for five days, with two nights of a couple of hours for people to ask questions, is ridiculous.

"It's difficult for some people to get over to the Leisure Centre, so we should offer to have the plans displayed here at the De Valence and also call for an open public meeting to be held here on the last day," added Clr. Mrs. Brown, with members backing her proposal.

Correspondence from Tenby Civic Society on the schools matter, which had been sent to the county council's chief executive, Mr. Bryn Parry-Jones, also came before the town council.

Mr. Douglas Fraser of the society said that many members, especially those living in the Heywood Lane and Serpentine Road area, were concerned about the reported schools site development and the corresponding lack of information about the implications for residents.

"Since we cannot believe that the plans can be so far advanced without there being an informed view on these subjects, we would ask you to share that view with the town council and ourselves," wrote Mr. Fraser.