£2.5m funding bid for historic building
SWANSEA council has revealed plans to transform a derelict former industrial building. The Grade II-listed Laboratory Building on the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks site could have a new use, including a restaurant, if funding is secured to repair the dilapidated Victorian structure.
With planning approval and listed building consent in place, the council is now working to secure funding of around £2.5m to undertake the renovation.
A new facility would stand next to a Penderyn Distillery attraction which is under development.
Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “We want to save the Laboratory Building and bring it back into use.
“The copperworks site is a key part of Swansea’s heritage and an important element in the city’s £1bn regeneration story. We see it becoming a major leisure destination.
“Work is progressing well on the site’s Penderyn project and we’ve worked hard to save two nearby historic engine houses for future use.”
The Laboratory Building dates from the early 19th century. It was used to test the quality of copper ore coming into the works that helped put Swansea on the world’s industrial map.
It is architecturally the most ornate of all the surviving buildings on the copperworks site, with many classical features. However, it has lost much of its roof and is unsafe.
The planning approval means that – once funding is secured – the council can repair and enhance the structure’s existing fabric and fully repair and refurbish its exterior, including installing a new Welsh slate roof.
This will allow for future redevelopment, potentially as a restaurant but with a number of other uses also possible.
The council has engaged GWP Architecture to undertake initial designs.