Chain pub to bring 35 jobs to town (From Free Press Series)

Chain pub to bring 35 jobs to town

DEVELOPERS in charge of the Wetherspoons construction in Pontypool say the new pub is set to open this spring with the creation of 35 jobs. JD Wetherspoon confirmed it hopes to open its new 2,800sq ft pub by April. Building work on the derelict former carpet shop on Osborne Road, is well under way.

A spokesman from Guilford-based architects Tuffin, Farraby, Taylor confirmed the fitting out of the pub's interior will begin "in earnest" next month.

He added: "We will be extremely disappointed if the pub is not up and running by April."

Tuffin, Ferraby, Taylor is responsible for the construction of 150 Wetherspoon pubs - around a third of the company's portfolio.

It designed outlets for the company in Newport and Abergavenny.

The site of the new Pontypool pub has been dogged by delays since Wetherspoon took ownership in 2003. In the autumn of 2004 the three-storey Victorian premises was gutted by flames following a suspected arson attack.

The developers had to work with Torfaen council and fire safety officers to secure the building.

This was followed by a painstaking operation to remove asbestos. The company also had to work with the council to divert a public sewer under Osborne Road.

The set-backs meant an original opening date of last summer was postponed.

A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon said the company plans to name its new pub after Pontypool's Victorian benefactor, John Capel Hanbury.