Plans for £20 million refurbishment of Grand Pavilion approved

Lewis Smith, local democracy reporter

Revised plans to refurbish Porthcawl’s Grand Pavilion have been approved by members of Bridgend Council.

The £20million project, largely funded by the UK Government’s Levelling-Up Fund, was first approved in 2023 to renovate the popular Grade II-listed building and give it a new lease of life.

However, at a meeting earlier this year members heard how a revised planning application would have to be submitted, after a review was carried out to “account for cost price inflation and the change in the construction market since the initial designs were costed”.

This latest submission was agreed upon unanimously at a planning committee meeting held in April of 2024, meaning work by the local authority and its partners at the Awen Cultural Trust can now begin.

Art Deco features

The latest version of the plans will see the conservation and repair of the some of the building’s Art Deco features including the clock tower and stained-glass windows, along with a new studio theatre, bar, and ‘changing places’ facility that would be open to the public.

They will also see the creation of new extensions including a glazed roof top pavilion with views of the Bristol channel, a passenger lift, auditorium, gallery, toilet facilities and supporting back of house areas.

Additionally, there will be a “sensitive restoration” of the building’s original domed roof, with new insulation, and the original marine-styled weathervane being reinstated.

Speaking at the meeting Cllr Mark John asked if the council was comfortable that lessons had been learned from the Maesteg Town Hall development which had seen major increases in cost since it began – though this question was dismissed by officers who said the issue had been discussed in previous meetings, with members only able to look at the planing merit of this project.

Others also raised questions over the levels of dust and noise that could be created by the development, however officers said these would be addressed by conditions such as a management plan to control the levels of emissions and noise during the construction period.

The popular Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl closed its doors in February 2024, ahead of the major works which are now expected to take place over the next two years.