Two applications for conversion of council offices

Two planning applications have been submitted for the multi-million pound conversion of the Grade II listed Neuadd Maldwyn in Welshpool.

Clwyd Alyn Housing Association has applied for Listed Build Consent (LBC) as well as a Conservation Area Consent (CAC) for the former Powys County Council (PCC) office.

They want to redevelop and extend the building on Severn Street into an independent living ‘extra care’ type scheme, of 66 flats, along with associated communal and support facilities.

These will be a mixture of one and two-bed apartments for older people at the building, which was once the headquarters of Montgomeryshire County Council.

A Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) by Edward Holland says: “Neuadd Maldwyn has been important as a place of employment, as one of the largest employers of office staff in Welshpool.

“The council chamber was a centre of debate and policy on local matters from the early 1960s until this function was transferred to PCC in the 1970s.”

Mr Holland goes on to say that the need for an extra care facility in Welshpool has been identified.

This can be answered with the building’s conversion, and a new three-story block to the back of it, he says.

Part of the scheme includes demolishing a buildings that are not seen of historic value.

Mr Holland, added: “The architectural character of the building is substantially retained and that it merits it’s Grade II listed status and every effort has been made to preserve it .

“It has also been demonstrated that that Neuadd Maldwyn has a strong group value with other buildings on Severn Street all within the Welshpool Conservation Area.

Advice

“In conclusion Neuadd Maldwyn is a fine example of a Neo-Georgian building, a style that flourished in the 1920s and was popular for private and public buildings.”

Usually listed building consent is obtained from the local planning authority, which in this case is Powys County Council.

However, as Neuadd Maldwyn is owned by the council, the application will need to be decided by Welsh Government ministers with advice from Cadw, their historic environment service.

The potential conversion of Neuadd Maldwyn has seen a rejig for council staff and services in Welshpool.

To accommodate the move, the library has been moved into Powysland Museum.

Staff who were based at Neuadd Maldwyn will be expected to work at the vacant library building on Brook street.

Campaigners in Welshpool fought a losing battle against the library’s closure.

The co-located library and museum now re-branded as Y Lanfa/ The Wharf was supposed to open at the end of March.

The scheme is one of three Extra Care Facilities that PCC are planning in the county estimated to be worth more than £13 million.

The other schemes are earmarked for Ystradgynlais and Brecon.

The first extra care scheme in Powys, Llys Glan yr Afon in Newtown, was opened in 2017.

A pre-application consultation on the proposal only closed on April 26.