As the school bell gets set to ring for the final time at Tenby Infants School, what does the future hold for the Heywood Lane site?

That’s the question being asked by the town’s north ward representative on Pembrokeshire County Council, Clr. Michael Williams this week.

“As part of the agreement for the new school, the infants school has to be demolished,” Clr. Williams reminded the Observer this week.

“But that is absolutely scandalous,” he said.

“The school is in good condition and it will be criminally negligent if we lost that building,” he continued.

“The people of Tenby have put thousands of pounds into it over the years.”

Clr. Williams suggested: “Tenby Town Council needs to take the lead here. They need to use their reserves to set-up a community land trust to buy the school and create a state-of-the-art library and cinema, plus create more parking.

“Both Cardigan and St. Davids have created facilities such as this which are proving a success, so why can’t Tenby do the same?”

“I have raised the matter with officers at County Hall and members, but nobody will take it on. I am a lone voice,” added Clr. Williams.

“People say that the library needs to be in the centre of the town, but if you look at the centre of the population, it will be, as the town is virtually empty in the winter months.

“Not many things annoy me, but this has. We really can’t see the building scheduled for demolition once it becomes redundant.”

Clr. Williams’s council colleague, Clr. Jon Preston, who represents St. Mary Out Libery and Penally, added: “Tenby Infants School holds a special place in the hearts of many local people of all ages. This is the only issue I have encountered where I have been questioned by not just adults, but children in the community who want to know why the building is to be demolished?

“Planning policy states that the green space taken up by the new school has to be replaced, but this is just an advisory detail and is not compulsory; for example, where the retention of the building would benefit the wider community.

“Having visited the school on many occasions, it seems absurd it has been deemed acceptable to demolish a perfectly good community asset. With the Social Activity Centre being told earlier this year that their building was not fit for purpose and the significant distress that situation caused, has it not been considered that we already may have a suitable alternative by utilising some of the space in the school building? This decision totally lacks vision and only serves to tick a box on a planning document.”

• Plans to demolish Tenby Infants School as part of an £8.37m re-development at Heywood Lane, were approved by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s development management committee in 2014.

Said Clr. Williams: “I was fully in support of the application to build a new school as this was a one-off opportunity for Tenby, but I couldn’t go along with the officers recommendation as part of the application required the demolition of the Infants School. The answer is to use the current assets of Tenby to set up a community land trust to give us the opportunity to provide much-needed facilities. If Cardigan can sustain a cinema, surely Tenby can. After all, the Cardies mind the pennies far more carefully than we do! ”

Fourteen members voted to approve the application, with only Clr. Williams voting against the proposals.