The decision on whether or not Denbighshire County Council can press ahead with plans to demolish Corwen Pavilion will be made at a full court hearing due to take place in December.
Pafiliwn y Bobl Cyf had challenged Denbighshire’s proposal and had taken legal steps to prevent the demolition, but the judge presiding over the case at Mold last week (Wednesday) said he was not able to make a decision on the matter and that he would list the case for a full hearing on December 1 and 2.
Denbighshire County Council took the decision to agree to this move, with the hope of the quickest possible resolution and outcome.
Jamie Groves, Denbighshire’s Head of Leisure, Libraries and Community Development, said: “We believe that this is the right decision in moving forward to a hearing.
“The process is continually being held up by technicalities and the Pafiliwn y Bobl Cyf group have again failed to provide the requisite evidence of their legal right to bring a Claim and this is the third occasion.
“Therefore rather than continually challenging this and to move matters forward we have decided to go for a full hearing. It is frustrating and rather unfortunate for the community. We realise that the continual challenge by the group and the length of this process is having a considerable impact on the funds that have been raised in good faith.
“We will continue to keep the community and in particular the Working Group up to date, but you have our assurances that there will be resolution in December. We feel the full hearing is the best course of action as it will bring everything to a close one way or another”.
The Pavilion closed in March 2010 as a result of a catalogue of serious health and safety concerns. Since then, Council officers have worked with the local community to form a working group with the purpose of creating a charitable company that would be in a position to have the land transferred over to them and obtain funding for a new pavilion. The decision to demolish was taken in full consultation with this group.
In April 2011, the Pafiliwn y Bobl Cyf group obtained a temporary injunction which restrained Denbighshire County Council from ‘demolishing, damaging, deconstructing or otherwise degrading Corwen Pavilion’. Denbighshire agreed not to begin demolition until the group’s own structural engineer could assess the condition of the building and provide the Council with costs associated with refurbishment.
The agreement not to start demolition still stands until the case has been resolved.
