A DERELICT pub in Pontypool town centre is set to return.

The Greyhound pub on Commercial Street in the town has been empty for the best part of five years, but now, thanks to a pair of health care professionals, pints will be pulled once more.

Drs Jag Shergill and Magnta Manu have bought up the property and applied for planning permission to revamp the listed building, bringing it back into use as a bistro-type bar.

Dr Shergill, who said the pair had strong ties in the area despite not being locals, stressed they didn’t just take places over to sell them on.

“We want to create a great, family orientated venue,” Dr Shergill said.

“We have a number of places across the country and we’ve not sold one on yet. We work really hard to get friendly, courteous staff and make sure we get the place exactly how we want it.

“We’ve both got a lot of family ties in the area and it’s a place we really enjoy visiting so we thought it seemed a great opportunity.

“We want it to be a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone from office workers to children to enjoy.

“We’ve got the upstairs as well so there will be a different ambience upstairs and down and that will also change throughout the day, but it’s not going to be just a boozer.”

Dr Shergill said there would be wide consultation with locals about what they wanted including what type of food they would like to see.

However because the building is listed and because the new owners want to make sure everything is perfect before opening, the doors aren’t likely to be open before the autumn of 2014.

Cllr Lewis Jones, the cabinet member responsible for regeneration in Torfaen, hailed it as “excellent news.”

“It’s great news for the town centre, the Greyhound has been sorely missed,” Cllr Jones said.

“I used to drink there as a youngster myself.

“We’ve seen so many pubs close down or turned into flats it’s great to hear that one is coming back. I think we need that.

“It’s been boarded up for so long and it’s right on the corner there as you come into the town from that side so it’s fantastic for the town centre that it’s coming back," he said.