Go-ahead for Guildhall’s revamp plans
WORK to transform Carmarthen’s Guildhall building into a cafe bar and restaurant is finally able to begin, after months of delay.
It comes seven months after Carmarthenshire Council granted planning permission for the £1 million scheme that will create up to 35 jobs.
Swansea-based developer Nextcolour Ltd will now press ahead with its plans, which were first revealed last year, to modify the Grade I listed, 18th Century former court building before it opens as part of the Lounges chain, who operate branches all over the UK including Zinco Lounge in Swansea and Croeso Lounge in Mumbles.
A deal to lease the building from Carmarthenshire Council was struck at the end of last year and there were hopes it would have opened this summer.
James Morse, at Nextcolour Ltd, will redevelop, but retain much of the building’s character and original features, together with returning some which have been hidden due to development work over the decades.
Also, as part of the plans, the crown court on the first floor will remain untouched but will be able to be viewed by customers and be open for educational school visits and TV and film opportunities.
However, the project was delayed after heritage chiefs at Cadw considered issues surrounding the development of the building.
It said the building is one of Wales’s most historically important.
In June, Cadw recommended Welsh Government ministers should call in the plans and have the final say as to whether it should be turned into a cafe bar and restaurant.
Welsh Government has decided not to call in the application, meaning the project can now begin, with work expected to get underway in the new year.
In a letter to Carmarthenshire Council, the Welsh Goverment outlined why it was not calling in the plans, despite Cadw’s request.
It said the government had “taken into account the concerns regarding the number and nature of objections raised”, which Cadw argued rendered the application “exceptionally controversial”.
But the Welsh Government added: “In respect, given the low numbers of objections, which are mainly from the local area...and have been appropiately considered by the local planning authority (Carmarthenshire Council) we are unable conclude that application is exceptionally controversial.”
Welsh Government concluded Carmarthenshire Council “has appropriately assessed the application and the issues it raises”.
The fact the project can now start has been welcomed by council leader Emlyn Dole, who said: “I’m delighted that this development is back on
track and that common sense has prevailed.
“It is a shame that the process was slowed down as this development will breathe new life into the building.”
Councillor Alun Lenny, who also chairs the council’s planning committee, said: “We gave planning permission for the development in April.
“Unfortunately, the process was held up by its referral to Cadw, otherwise the restaurant might have been open by now.”
Councillor Gareth John added: “The Plaid-led county council went out on a limb to buy this iconic building.
“It then worked hard to find a developer, in order to ensure that the six-figure annual cost of maintaining this historic building would not fall on council tax payers.”