‘Ambitious, impressive’ plans for cultural venue
AMBITIOUS £5m plans to revive the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd have been revealed by the trust taking it over.
Awen Cultural Trust is set to take on the lease of the popular arts centre in Gelliwastad Road.
A Rhondda Cynon Taf Council cabinet report says the council and Awen will be looking to carry out the work needed to re-open the Muni Arts Centre in June 2020, but Awen has also revealed that it has more ambitious longer-term plans for the building.
The trust was established in 2015 and already has experience of running cultural services in Bridgend, such as the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl, Maesteg Town Hall, Bryngarw Country Park, Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall and Bridgend’s libraries.
Architects for the project, Purcell, have been involved in projects including Insole Court in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, Penarth Pier Pavilion, and Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil.
Awen’s chief executive Richard Hughes said the Muni was a “natural fit” for the trust and that Pontypridd is “a community with a proud cultural heritage.”
Ross Hartland from Purcell said that constraints around the current building including the hall which he said could be any school sports hall in the country, the poor disabled accessibility, congested bar area and the difficulty of toilet access.
He also said the building is Gothic in style on the outside but this is hidden on the inside.
The plan is to retain and enhance the Muni’s original features and heritage, ensuring it is fit for purpose and meets the local community’s needs.
Awen plans to expose and feature the Gothic architecture for which the building is recognised and listed.
The presentation showed a plan for the building - arranged generally over two halves of the building either side of a foyer/lobby area near the main entrance.
The ground floor plan shows a refurbished main hall area with seating across the entire hall, in front of a stage area.
Dressing rooms would be provided in close proximity to the rear of the stage, with direct access to the stage.
Storage and toilet facilities would be provided backstage while the current corridors would be widened to improve access to the dressing room area. The new set-up would also enable improved access throughout the venues for both audiences and performers.
The Muni closed at the end of last year after the previous tenants Artis Community said they had been “dogged” by financial problems since their community asset transfer from the council three years previously.
With debts rising, the venue was closed last December and its staff were made redundant.
After taking back the tenancy of the building, the council advertised a “window of opportunity” in January, which was a chance for community organisations and businesses to express an interest in the leasehold transfer of the centre.
In June the council cabinet chose Awen Cultural Trust to take forward a tenancy of the building after considering a number of business plans to get the building back open.
Councillor Rhys Lewis, cabinet member for cultural services labelled the plans from Awen as “ambitious and very impressive”.
He said: “And why shouldn’t they be? Why shouldn’t we have this sort of superb cultural venue in the valleys?
“There is the potential for the Muni to become an important venue not just for Pontypridd and RCT but for the whole of south Wales.
“We recognise the place it has in many people’s hearts.”
The leader of the council Councillor Andrew Morgan said their work with Awen had been really positive and that it would be great if they can re-open the building by June next year.
He mentioned concerns that had been raised about the Muni and the YMCA being competitors but said that they were actually becoming complementary to each other.
Maureen Webber, the deputy leader of the council said: “We don’t want to dwell on the past but we have to look at the mistakes of the past. The previous [lease] holders didn’t meet our expectations. It was a great disappointment. None of us wanted to see the closure this building.”