WORK has begun this week on transforming an eyesore site that has stood neglected at the gateway to Narberth for over a dozen years

Two former pupils of the town’s old primary school are behind the scheme to create housing, a new home for Narberth’s community library, a shop and a food and drink outlet in the building, which will retain its Victorian frontage.

Local butcher Andrew Rees and construction company owner Charles Salmon, who now lives in Lincoln, are Pembrokeshire County Council’s preferred developers of the site in Moorfield Road and gained planning permission for their scheme last year.

The start of the development has received a warm welcome from the community, particularly the Friends of Narberth Old School which campaigned tirelessly against proposals to demolish the historic building.

The Friends are documenting the development on their Facebook group, and described the commencement of the scheme as 'a new beginning for such a loved and important building'.

"It's in a prime position and is really going to make such a difference to the town," said Andrew, who is a member of the Friends group. "We're starting on sandblasting the old building and there will be some soft stripping going on inside and demolition of the newer school extension. It's great to get going on the work at last."

The site’s signature rainbow mural, created by Narberth’s Rainbow Fairy, Diana Brook, will be removed and safely stored on its board, ready to take its place in the new development.

The old school playground which is used for parking by Pembrokeshire County Council, is not part of the deal and will remain.

The development will include eight three-bedroom town houses facing the Town Moor and three one-bedroom apartments above the library and one of the commercial units.

“It would have been too much of a risk to create around 10 or 12 new shops in this day and age, so we’ve gone for one shop and a food outlet adjacent to the new community library building,” said Andrew.

“It’s a nice big retail area, around 120 square metres, in a prime spot, and there have been quite a few enquiries.

“We’re hoping that a local operator will come forward for the food outlet, possibly for something like a restaurant or wine bar or similar."

The future of the building has been surrounded by uncertainty for several years.

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.

Following this, the county council, as the site's owners, marketed it through a national agent and it was also the subject of a community engagement event in Narberth to find out what the public would like to do with the site.

The town's county councillor, Vic Dennis, said last year when the planning application was submitted: “The building has declined from a proud place of learning to an eyesore over a number of years. I have been pushing at every opportunity to get a solution for this site, ever since I was elected in 2017, so this is a very welcome step forward for Narberth.”

“This proposal extends and builds on the popular retail offer already in the High Street. whilst accommodating plans for the relocation of the town's library and contributing to local housing needs."