Plans advance for £18m refurbishment of Porthcawl’s Grand Pavilion

Lewis Smith, local democracy reporter

Plans for an £18 million refurbishment of Porthcawl’s iconic Grand Pavilion have advanced as a search for contractors to work on the project has commenced.

The scheme could see the development of new facilities at the Grade II-listed building, including function spaces on the Esplanade level, along with new rooftop function and café spaces.

There would also be a new studio theatre, business incubation or workshop spaces at the street level, and increased welfare facilities including a changing places facility.

The move comes following concerns earlier this year that the UK Government Levelling Up Funding could be lost if work on the project failed to get underway imminently.

Conditions

This was due to conditions put on the Levelling Up grant, which stipulated the project would have to be completed  by the spring of 2025, with the expectation that a contractor would be in place and work started by the spring of 2024.

However, officers at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (21November), confirmed they had received an extension until March 2026, following discussions with the Levelling Up monitoring team.

Advanced stage

A council spokesperson said: “The design work has moved to an advanced stage and the project is working towards a “design freeze” in December to the evaluate the work so far. A cost advisor has also recently been appointed to support the procurement process and to work alongside the design team.

“The tender process will now determine the cost and programme of the works which will inform the decision by cabinet to award any contract. A future report will also be taken to cabinet and council to set out the financial implications of the redevelopment.”

Cllr Rhys Goode added: “It’s pleasing to see that plans for the redevelopment of the iconic Porthcawl Grand Pavilion are continuing to progress. This will help to safeguard the building for generations to come and to deliver the best facilities possible for our local community.

“Procurement forms a vital part of a project of this scale and it’s important that we go through this detailed process to ensure ‘value for money’ prior to the award of any contract.”