Sebastopol, Torfaen
Sebastopol is the southernmost suburb of Pontypool in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales. It is named in honour of the Crimean city Sevastopol (also known as Sebastopol) that was taken during the Crimean War. It is a working-class area consisting of mainly privately owned terraced houses and a substantial number of local authority/ex-local authority housing (known as the Kemys Fawr Estate).
Layout
Today Sebastopol is a large community that is all but merged with nearby Griffithstown. Like nearby New Inn, Sebastopol does not have a central village area, but is spread out along its main thoroughfares South Street & Greenhill Road.
Amenities
The settlement has few large landmarks and public transport connections due to its proximity with Griffithstown. It has three general shops: two on South Street and a general store on The Avenue (Kemys Fawr Estate). Specialists include a fish & chip shop, barber shop, printer, a garage door sales/fitting business and poodle/luxury dogs parlour. Its wider economy includes many second-hand car salesrooms on Station Rd, "The Crown", "The Open Hearth" and "Sebastopol Social Club" pubs.
There are two churches: Penry Gospel Hall and St. Oswald's Anglican Church, but most ecclesiastical needs are met by Griffithstown. Kemys Fawr Infant & Nursery School is located on the Kemys Fawr Estate and provides education for 3 - 7 year olds; children then mainly attend Griffithstown Junior School for further schooling. Until April 2012 there was also a special needs school: Crownbridge School, catering for pupils in the age range 3 - 19 with severe learning difficulties; this has relocated to the grounds of Croesyceiliog School in Cwmbran. There is a park near Kemys Fawr Infant & Nursery School with a football pitch.
The Monmouthshire Canal runs through Sebastopol from Brecon on its way to Newport.
South Sebastopol development
From 1996-2017 local residents resisted plans of developers put forward under the Local Plan of Torfaen County Borough Council to build homes and small business premises on a large green fields area. To be known as "South Sebastopol", a wide tract of new housing would fill the gap between the Pontypool district suburbs of northern Torfaen to the Cwmbran district suburbs of southern Torfaen. In 2011 outline plans drawn were refused by the council. Detailed plans were approved in October 2014,[1] and work started in April 2016.[2]
References
- ↑ Rob Owen (25 October 2014). "Sebastopol housing plans approved". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ↑ "First turf is cut as work gets under way at South Sebastopol development". Easier. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2018.