AN ABERGAVENNY action group campaigning to secure the future of a former college for community use was dealt a blow after the owners rejected its bid to buy part of the site.

Coleg Gwent closed The Hill Education and Conference Centre three years ago as part of a radical shake-up of education across its five campuses, in a bid to save £3.5million.

Last summer it put the 20-acre site in Pen y Pound, which includes a mansion, conference centre, and 50 bedrooms as well as a walled Victorian garden, up for sale.

Community Action to Save The Hill (CASH) believes it should remain an education and community resource for the people of Abergavenny and has vowed to continue its campaign, despite learning that Coleg Gwent has identified two preferred partners, rejecting a bid by a local businessman that was backed by CASH.

A spokesman for CASH said it proposed to run day courses for local people, enabling personal and professional development, as well as residential courses.

“In an attempt to seek a mutually satisfactory resolution, and to prevent the whole site being sold off to a developer, CASH suggested a revised bid for only the core buildings and the walled garden, leaving 75 per cent of the site for disposal to other bidders.”

Jim Bennett, Coleg Gwent’s Principal said: “We have kept a dialogue open with CASH in good faith and listened to what they had to say, and we would have liked to have embarked on a sensible venture with them.

“However their bids are so far below what we currently have been offered that they are not bids I could recommend to our corporation.”