A NEW life for Narberth’s old school looks to be on the timetable following the announcement that a local consortium is to take over the dilapidated building.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s cabinet on Monday agreed that Narberth Consortium is to be appointed as the preferred developer of the site.

The consortium is understood to be made up of local business people and those with a community interest, and was chosen by the cabinet ahead of entirely commercial developers who had put their names forward.

The matter, which was discussed in private, comes after several years of uncertainty surrounding the building in the town’s Moorfield Road.

Plans for a mixed housing and retail development, with a Sainsbury’s Local as its cornerstone, collapsed in May 2016 after the supermarket chain pulled out because of lack of progress by the then preferred developer.

Since then, the site has been marketed through a national agent and has also been the subject of a community engagement event in Narberth to find out what the public would like to do with the site.

Local county councillor, Vic Dennis, was delighted with the news.

He said: “This is a major step towards the delivery of what Narberth and its community wants and needs. This site was a functional and much loved school, in its day, but it has become an eyesore.

“I was voted in on May 4 along with the new administration at the council. It did not take much persuasion from me to make my priority, one of theirs also. The property has been marketed through a national agent and was assessed against the criteria of visual amenity, adding to the retail strength and variety of the town centre whilst maximising site value.

“A public engagement event was also held, this time last year, to gain the views of the community and those views have been reflected in the decision of the cabinet.

“I am grateful for all the hard work that the council officers have put in to enable us to get this far since we have been in office.

“I will now be keen to fully understand the proposals and assist, where I can, the local consortium that has been appointed as the preferred developer.”

Following Monday’s meeting, Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman Len Mullins confirmed: “The decision from Monday’s cabinet was: a) that Narberth Consortium be appointed as the preferred developer; b) that the final terms and conditions relating to the disposal be delegated to the director of development in conjunction with the leader/cabinet member c) that the State Aid implications be noted and that the transaction is subject to those being satisfactorily dealt with be also noted.”

The cabinet’s reason for decision was “to facilitate the delivery of an important town centre regeneration scheme in accordance with the council’s key corporate objectives, and to generate a capital receipt from the disposal of a surplus asset”.

The decision is subject to the standard three-day call-in period.