WORK to build an environmentally friendly £1.8 million family learning centre in Cwmbran is set to start early this year.

Details about the innovative Power Station, so called because it will "give power to the community", have just been released by Torfaen council.

The state-of-the-art three-storey stone and glass building will be built on the site of Derwent House, a three- storey block of flats, now demolished, near Blenheim Square, Cwmbran. It will be shaped like a power station, and will be the first building in Torfaen built as an example of good environmental practice.

This means the building will have: 80% lower energy consumption. Use of heat from deep in the earth to provide warmth in the building. No mechanical air conditioning. Computer-controlled windows. Rainwater harvesting and use within the building. Use of materials from sustainable sources.

As well as offering a wide range of adult education classes, it will give easy access to other services, including meeting- rooms, crche facilities and a space for social functions.

It is being funded by £1 million from the Assembly's Local Regeneration Fund, and £800,000 from the Five Counties Learning Network.

Bob Wellington, Green-meadow councillor and chairman of the steering group for the project, said: "It has been a pleasure to work with the community and see their enthusiasm to get the Power Station idea off the ground. This is a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages in south-west Cwmbran. The centre is going to be a huge asset to them."

In the Power Station's first three years it aims to have 1,000 people a year using it, including 100 new people a year learning to manage a website, and 500 people involved in learning something new.

It is also hoped that five new community enterprises and 30 community and voluntary groups will use the facilities.

Tom Matthews, of St Dials, said: "It will offer a new dimension in an area with very sparse facilities, and a real opportunity for improved adult education."