Council takes over much-loved town centre arts venue

Anthony Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter

The local council has now officially taken over ownership of a much loved arts and cultural venue in a Welsh town centre.

In a statement Merthyr Tydfil Council has confirmed that it is now the owner of the Redhouse building which was previously owned by Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association.

In January, councillors voted in favour of bringing the building back into council hands.

The building has been closed since 2024 after Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association was unable to carry out a transfer of the building from the former leisure trust.

In April 2024, Merthyr Tydfil’s leisure and cultural services returned to council control from the trust with the Redhouse set to return to its owner’s Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association.

But the housing association said it was unable to gain detailed information from the leisure trust to allow it to understand the full liabilities that would likely transfer.

As a result the decision was taken to close the building, but at a full council meeting on Wednesday, January 14 this year councillors unanimously voted to bring the Redhouse back into council ownership.

The latest council statement read: ” We are delighted to confirm that Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is now the owner of Redhouse.

“In January 2026, councillors voted unanimously to bring this much-loved building back into council ownership, to secure the building’s future for the benefit of the community.

“Since then, council officers have been working in partnership with its former owner, Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association, on the legal process of taking official ownership.”

Speaking in January when the council approved the move to take ownership of the building, Councillor Brent Carter the leader of the authority said: “We know this historic building is really important to so many of you, so we have been working hard to bring the Redhouse back into council ownership.

“It has long been a priority of ours to see the Redhouse returned to the council, a goal we have diligently and consistently pursued for over a year, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to its future.

“Now that this has been approved by full council, we can begin the legal process of taking official ownership of the building.

“We believe this is a fantastic step forward for the Redhouse and for our county borough. We’ll keep you updated as things progress.”