A FORMER primary school could be refurbished to provide a split location for a children's services project and a community arts centre.

Victoria Primary School in Abersychan closed last July as part of a schools reorganisation and has remained empty since.

A newly formed Community Interest Company, Torfaen Arts Resource Centre (TARC), has proposed using the building as a centre for arts.

Council officers have been working with TARC over the past year to find a suitable proposal.

Placing full responsibility to the organisation with no property management track record and no readily available finances would have been "a huge risk from the council’s perspective," a report says.

But a split occupation of the building has now been put forward with a children's services regional collaboration scheme, Multi-Intervention Support Team, which will be renamed My Support Team ( (MyST).

Torfaen council has run the project for 14 years, and due to its success in reducing the cost of child-care placements, it will be expanded to include the four other Gwent councils under the new name chosen by service users and at a bigger base.

Funding is available to either purchase or refurbish a property for the new venue.

The proposed refurbishment of the school would include roof work, electrical rewiring and re-arranging internal space to suit the needs of MyST.

Other works may be added when the cost has been established.

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A council report says MySt would need to be "carefully segregated" from the community arts centre.

The former canteen buildings would be demolished and replaced with a secure car park for MyST to use under the plans.

TARC would have control of an enclosed yard to the front of the school, while the children's services scheme would have exclusive use of a back yard and outbuildings.

A playing field and former school hall would be shared, with each having control over one and allowing the other to use it by arrangement.

The community arts centre would raise its own funds to meet running costs, while MyST would use money currently paid by Torfaen council towards rent as well as funding from the other Gwent councils towards the project.

Torfaen council's cabinet could approve the scheme at a meeting on Tuesday.

Further details of the refurbishment would then be prepared, and legal agreements put in place to set out terms of occupation for both parties.