A petition has been launched to help save one of Narberth’s iconic buildings for the use of the community and the betterment of the town.

The Friends of Narberth Old School are petitioning Pembrokeshire County Council not to demolish the whole of the Moorfield Road primary school, but allow the Victorian part of the building to be considered for redevelopment as a community asset to house the library, meetings and office space with areas for start-up incubator businesses.

Following several failed attempts to find a developer for the building which has stood empty since 2007 when the new school opened in Jesse Road, earlier this year, Pembrokeshire County Council announced that they will demolish the entire site before March 31 and turn it into a temporary car park until a viable alternative plan can be found.

“All agree that the greater part of the school, the 1970s extension, needs to be demolished as soon as possible and the land used to form a natural extension to the existing car park,” said Clr. Mrs. Sue Rees, one of the campaigners.

“However, the community consider that, the Victorian original building, which has always been an iconic feature of the town, standing as it does at the top of the High Street, should be used to enhance the town and the rest of the land devoted to permanent parking for the town”

A campaign ‘Give us a Chance, Help Save Narberth Old School’ has been launched with their Facebook page receiving 250 hits in the first few hours.

A paper petition has been distributed throughout the area and an online petition can be signed at https://www.change.org/p/give-us-a-chance-help-save-narberth-old-school?recruiter=76561421&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

“Please can everyone go online or ask in the shops to sign it,” urged Clr. Mrs. Rees.

“We need as many people as possible to sign; they don’t have to live in Narberth, some people from Exeter, who were staying in the area, signed at the pool.”

And she added: “If Narberth had accepted previous Pembrokeshire County Council dictates, we would have no swimming pool and no library. I think the people of Narberth love the old school building and want to see it restored to its former glory as a focal point of the town.

“The building may not be precious to the history of Wales, but is precious to the people of Narberth and the surrounding area who, for generations, went to school there. You will see it proudly portrayed on any Narberth literature, alongside the Town Hall and the Queen’s Hall, as an iconic part of the town.

“It has been deeply saddening to see the way the building has been left for so long to rot and decay, but the hope has always remained, that in the end it would be saved.”