A group in Brecon is campaigning to save the site of their old school which has stood in the town since 1901.

The Brecon Grammar School Old Boys Association are looking to get the old building on Cradoc Road listed.

The building became home to the Brecon County Intermediate School for Boys in 1901 and after being retitled the Brecon Grammar School for Boys it remained at the site until 1958. More recently the building housed Brecon Youth Centre until that was closed in April this year by Powys County Council along with the youth centres in Llandrindod Wells and Ystradgynlais.

The Brecon Grammar School Old Boys Association has now made enquiries to heritage body Cadw about their old school being listed and copied their letter to both Powys County Council and Brecon Town Council in the hope of getting support for their campaign. The letter was shown to town councillors at their meeting on Monday evening.

It said: “Since 1958 the building in Cradoc Road has until recently housed the Brecon Youth Centre. But it is now empty, we believe, and been put forward for sale by the owners, Powys County Council.

“The Old Boys Association feels that there is now a risk that the building may be demolished and the site used for development.

“There are few buildings of this vintage (late Victorian/early Edwardian) in Brecon and a listing would preserve it for future generations.”

Even though the building would not be fully protected if it was listed, it would make it more difficult to demolish it or for building work to take place if a listing application is successful. The building is currently advertised as being for sale or to let on the Powys County Council website.

The county council are advertising the building, which occupies a 0.86-acre site, at a freehold guide price of £300,000 or to let at £15,000 per annum.

Cllr Matthew Dorrance, who campaigned to save the old youth centre after its closure was announced last year, said at the town council meeting that he was in support of listing the building.

He said: “I was quite surprised when we tried to save the building from closing that it was not already a listed building.

“I do think it’s important from an architectural and a historical aspect, and it’s a shame that it’s not being innovated or looked after. It would be good if we could retain it as a community asset”.

However Cllr Dorrance also said that it was not in the town council’s remit to list the building and that he was unsure exactly what the Old Boys Association were asking for.

He said: “We need to know what they expect from us. I don’t want to give them the expectation of responsibility from us when we don’t have it.”

The town clerk Fiona Williams clarified that the letter being presented to the council was addressed to Cadw but was copied to both councils.

Following a suggestion from Cllr Dorrance, the town councillors agreed to write a letter to Cadw showing their support for the building being listed.