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Campus will be 'great' for Blaenavon (From Free Press Series)
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Campus will be 'great' for Blaenavon
2:10pm Wednesday 22nd April 2009
TORFAEN council is planning to start building work on its new £15 million Blaenavon Community Campus next spring.
The development will see a new 130-place nursery and 450-place primary school, with the amalgamation of Hillside Nursery and Primary School with St Peter’s Church in Wales Primary School. A new leisure centre is also planned for the site, as well as a doctors’ surgery and pharmacy.
The campus is on the site of the former Blaenavon leisure centre and pool, which was demolished in December 2007, leading to a bitter battle led by local residents.
Members of Blaenavon Leisure and Swimming Troubleshooters (Blast) are angry the campus plans do not include a replacement swimming-pool. The group accepted two years ago that the leisure centre would go, but wanted to keep the pool.
However, Torfaen council said this was not a viable option and went ahead with demolition in spite of Assembly advice to delay this until the issue had been explored further.
Blast chairman John Beavan said: “We are not against the campus, which will be great for the town, but we are still pressing to get a new swimming pool in the area.”
Blaenavon residents staged a mock funeral for their pool last year, where campaigners from Blast marched through the town to the former leisure centre, holding a ceremony complete with mock coffin and a pretend priest.
The council submitted an outline planning application for the campus this month, which is likely to be considered by the planning committee on May 27 or June 23. A report will be presented to cabinet in May seeking agreement to start construction in spring 2010, ready for a 2011 opening.
Torfaen council leader Bob Wellington said: “This development will bring services in Blaenavon together. The plans are ready to go to the planning committee and I am as excited now by this project as I was at the start. It will be a great asset to Blaenavon.”
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A Blaenafon Voice, Blaenafon says...
1:41am Fri 24 Apr 09
How is is good for blaenafon, losing the towns assets for LESS services than now.
How can you justify not having a swimming pool in an area surrounded by rivers and ponds...YOU CAN'T!
Don't worry Cwmbran will still have it's three pools and Torfaen CBC will still be supporting the wasteful and ever dependant powerstation.
The best asset for Blaenafon will be YOUR RESIGNATION, but that would require decency, something we know you have not got. We have had Rape of the Fair Country. Now we have Rape of the Fair Town.