AN ACTION group set up to the save The Hill Education and Conference Centre has said it's not surprised by the news that Coleg Gwent has put the campus up for sale.

Despite the news, CASH (Community Action to Save The Hill) has said it still believes The Hill should be an educational and community resource for the people of Abergavenny.

A spokesperson for CASH said, "In recent weeks CASH has been exploring possible educational and training uses for The Hill with a number of interested parties and these talks are ongoing. We remain hopeful that a positive outcome will result and look forward to discussing them with Coleg Gwent."

Coleg Gwent announced last week it has put the former college up for sale two years after it closed in a bid to save £3.5 million.

A spokesperson for Coleg Gwent said an information pack is available and it is not seeking any planning permission for the change of use or redevelopment of the site prior to its sale. However, it has sought advice from the planning authority which has indicated that planning permission may be granted for a change of use and/or a range of redevelopment options under certain conditions.

Principal and Chief Executive of Coleg Gwent, Jim Bennett said, "It is now time to resolve the future of the grounds and buildings at The Hill site. Since we closed our operation there nearly two years ago we have looked hard for ways to allow The Hill to be available for community use; despite everyone's best efforts we have only received one proposal which sadly did not come to fruition. 

 "We have been in regular contact with interested local groups to explore more options but none has been brought to us. We cannot keep the buildings boarded up indefinitely, and so we have started to explore the option of selling the buildings and grounds. 

"The proceeds from the sale will be re-invested into the college to benefit some 29,000 local students who come to us for education and training every year."

Sales negotiations collapsed between Coleg Gwent and local businessman Dr Olinga Ta'eed who wanted to buy The Hill and transform it into the base for the Primo Balletto ballet school.

It is estimated that Dr Ta'eed has spent about £200,000 on surveys, reports, advertising, staff and refurbishing the premises including installing some dance studios.

It was also hoped The Hill would become the base for a new scheme to help ex-service men and women with health problems readjust to civilian life after facing frontline dangers.

A spokesperson for CASH continued, "In recent weeks CASH has been exploring possible educational and training uses for The Hill with a number of interested parties and these talks are ongoing. We remain hopeful that a positive outcome will result and look forward to discussing them with Coleg Gwent.

"Meanwhile, we shall continue to campaign and impress upon potential purchasers of The Hill that we welcome proposals that do not shut the door to involvement by local people in educational and community activities at The Hill. Any other option we would regard as depriving Abergavenny of a resource that was explicitly intended for local community use. Our stance merely reflects strong and wide-ranging local opinion.

"In this regard it is important to see the future of The Hill in the context of threats to the quality of life in Abergavenny where our local drama group and local theatre are facing budget cuts, the cattle market seems likely to disappear, and a variety of community services exist on a knife edge."