PARENTS are 'appalled' and 'horrified' after potential plans for a sports facility have been announced.

A meeting was held on September 12 regarding the potential changes at the Independent Living Skills (ILS) building on the Northop campus of Coleg Cambria.

The ILS, which caters for students with additional needs, shares the sports hall at the Glyndwr university site next door, however parents have told the Leader that the hall could be changed to another type of classroom.

Parent Keith Bolton said he attended the meeting about the 'crazy situation which has suddenly occurred'.

He said: "You can't do this to people with additional needs, it will be like the end of the world for them.

"The college has a really good reputation for students. We were horrified with this news, about 40 parents turned up and were firing questions but the college was just as much in the dark as we are."

At the meeting, parents were told that the college signed an agreement in 2009, allowing the building, owned by the university, to continue as a sports hall for the college's long term use.

Keith added: "The students have built into their courses, which have just begun on this year's curriculum, a sports element to promote healthy living for the future.

"They will now have to be transported to Deeside College or the like so as to use the sports facilities there which brings transfer times, health and safety issues for vulnerable people, additional staffing etc into the equation.

"The change of use would also impact on examinations as the college uses the sports hall for examination conditions needed to ensure fair results are achieved. These students have been dealt a difficult hand from the start but to do this is one more obstacle to try and deal with

"We simply can't allow this to be steamrollered through to give the University a facility away from a planning application [as the building exists] and it's not even a change of use as it will still be an education-based building."

Parents were told that thy understand the building will be transformed into a two storey facility which work will start soon.

It has been suggested that the building is being redeveloped into a facility for Veterinary & Forensic science

A spokesman for Coleg Cambria said: "As a leading college that puts the education and welfare of students at the heart of every decision we are disappointed and surprised with this announcement.

"There has been no consultation, despite us being in partnership on the Northop site for more than a decade.

"We hope the final decision reflects the needs of the many learners who use this facility, and the community it serves."

Parents have told the Leader they are outraged with the decision and concerns have been raised over their children.

Shotton Councillor Gillian Brockley said: "I'm absolutely appalled at the lack of consideration or thought shown for the students and staff of the ILS building in Northop, by Glyndwr University.

"These students all have additional needs and it appears that the decision makers at Glyndwr University have shown the students and staff of the neighbouring ILS building little respect or courtesy in this matter.

"It appears that Glyndwr have pushed this through, without any prior communication with the ILS building, whom it will impact on so negatively.

"This is going to have such an incredibly negative impact on the students in ILS - they will have nowhere to do their sports (they have been planning sports activities years in advance).

"The staff are ringing round trying to find somewhere to take the students but that would really eat into their study time, not to mention the stress, upheaval, logistics and, of course, the financial implications."

A Wrexham Glyndwr University spokesman said the sports hall at the Northop Campus is not used by Wrexham Glyndwr University students or staff.

The spokesman added: "However development of a new degree for Wrexham Glyndwr University - which this space is required for to facilitate - is well under way.

"This development was always foreseen under the agreement put in place with Coleg Cambria 10 years ago and will offer exciting opportunities for further and higher education pathways in land-based studies.

"We invited Coleg Cambria to explore this with us several months ago when we flagged to them that the sports hall would need to be converted, so it is incorrect to suggest that there has been no communication regarding this from ourselves to Coleg Cambia. We remain open to joint development in this area and to working together on this.

"We understand that decommissioning the sports hall affects arrangements that Coleg Cambria has with the ILS and an alternative venue would need to be found. We have already offered the alternative facility of our better-equipped sports hall at our Wrexham campus, however this was disregarded. We would be happy to revisit our suggestion of an alternative venue."