Demolition of fire-ravaged school to begin
A delicate demolition job is to begin in two weeks' time on the remains of a primary school in Chepstow that was all but destroyed in a blaze last month.
Thornwell Primary School was gutted by the inferno, which ripped through the infants building and nursery school and badly damaged adjoining buildings. Children have been having their lessons in hastily set-up demountable classrooms, but Monmouthshire Council has said that they want to get on with the demolition and rebuilding process as soon as possible.
A spokesman for the council said that work has been scheduled to commence on July 22, and is expected to last for around three weeks. More substantial demountable classrooms will then be set-up while the construction work is underway.
"Following on from [the demolition] we will take delivery of the new demountable classrooms which will be where the infant building was," he explained. "It is anticipated that this work will be completed by the end of the summer holidays. Design discussions for the replacement building have commenced with all parties fully engaged."
The school's headmistress, Linda Davies, said that the charred buildings were a sad reminder of what they had lost, and a swift demolition process will be appreciated.
"There was an awful lot of heritage that went up in flames that night," she said. "It will be good to see it pulled down now as it is such a sad reminder."
