Cafe bar to open after building renovation
A NEW family-friendly café bar will open this summer in Bridgend town centre in the restored former Victoria Inn on Adare Street.
Loungers, which also operates café bars in Penarth, Cardiff and Swansea, will open the Corvo Lounge in late July, serving a wide range of food and drinks throughout the day.
The historic former Victoria Inn has been completely renovated over the last 18 months after lying vacant for several years.
Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, the building’s owners were able to access grant funding through the Townscape Heritage Initiative coordinated by Bridgend County Borough Council to restore the derelict public house so that it could be brought back into use for another business venture.
With the restoration now complete, Bridgend County Borough Council and Loungers are delighted to make the announcement.
Councillor Charles Smith, Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration, said: “This is extremely exciting news – the Corvo Lounge will be a very welcome addition to Bridgend town centre.
“In the last decade, over £1.5m worth of Heritage Lottery Fund grants have been awarded in the town centre through the Townscape Heritage Initiative, encouraging building owners and local organi- sations to work together with the council to restore premises to their historical prime using traditional materials and methods.
“In addition to the old Victoria Inn, the adjoining property at 7 Adare Street has also been restored in the latest round of grants, as well as 2 and 4 Elder Street Cottages. A large variety of buildings in Dunraven Place, Wyndham Street, Market Street, Queen Street and Elder Street have been brought back to their former glory in recent years, making Bridgend town centre a much more appealing place to visit and do business.
“The council does not own any shops or commercial premises within the town centre and has no say over how they are marketed or allocated. However, through schemes such as this we can focus on developing the shopping and business environment instead and making improvements by working with building and land owners.”
Since a group of friends set up their first Loungers in Bristol in 2002, their popular business venture has taken the café bar world by storm. They now have 80 lounges across the UK, including the Juno Lounge in Roath, Fino Lounge in Whitchurch, the Ocho Lounge in Penarth, the Zino Lounge in Swansea and the Croeso Lounge in Mumbles.