PEMBROKESHIRE County Council has submitted plans to demolish the former junior school in Fishguard to help drive forward redevelopment.

The Victorian building has fallen into a state of disrepair since the opening of the new primary school Ysgol Glannau Gwaun in September 2011, and there is concern that if left in its current condition, the building could pose a risk to members of the public.

The County Council is currently marketing the site, with a view to attracting a retail developer to invest in the area. A number of supermarket giants have shown interest in recent years, including Tesco and Co-op, but nothing has come to fruition.

Allocation has also been made in the Local Development Plan for a traffic improvement scheme. It is proposed that a link road should be created between the site entrance on West Street and the area in the vicinity of the former Ship and Anchor pub on High Street, to ease congestion in the town centre.

The County Council’s planning application is for the demolition of the former junior school building and its associated buildings, some of which are located in the Fishguard conservation area.

A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman said: “The Council has submitted an application to demolish and clear the site. This is because in its present condition it is a liability and any future development would not require the existence of the present structure. Once cleared - and prior to any future development of the site - it will be used as an interim car park.”