Venue Cymru to receive a facelift

Venue Cymru is to get a much-needed facelift, after Conwy Council received an additional £635,000 in grant funds.

The latest grant is from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns scheme and will fund a repaint of the building’s exterior and a redesign of the restaurant.

Last month Conwy County Council welcomed the announcement that Venue Cymru will also be awarded £10m by the UK Government.

The funds are subject to the submission of a full business case, but confirmation of the money was welcomed after doubt was thrown on the funding earlier in the year after a change of government.

Cultural hub

The money will be used to upgrade the venue, creating a ‘cultural hub’, with some of the £10m likely to be used to relocate the tourist information centre and the town’s library, which has been met with strong opposition.

But the extra £635,000 will fund a variety of work at the theatre, which was badly in need of a repaint, including work to the building’s exterior.

The funding comes after councillors described the building as ‘shabby’ at a recent meeting.

Leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey welcomed the funds. “Venue Cymru is vitally important to the local economy,” he said.

“It brings about £30m of revenue into the local economy. We are just glad to get the money and improve the appearance and make it more sustainable, moving forward.

“So it’s good news. I’m delighted to see the investment to be able to improve the exterior of the building.”

Deterioration

A spokeswoman for Conwy County Council said the authority had received the ‘Transforming Towns Placemaking Grants’ from Welsh Government, which would now pay for the long overdue upgrade after nearly two decades.

She said: “The external appearance of Venue Cymru has been deteriorating for some time.

“The arena end of the building up to the conference centre main entrance was decorated in 2018. The rest of the building has not been decorated since 2006.

“This work will improve the fabric of the building and protect it from the elements for several years to come.

“It will also be more appealing to conference and event organisers when they visit for the first time, which will give a much better first impression and chance that new business is secured.”

The spokeswoman also explained the restaurant was being upgraded.

“The restaurant furniture is now nearly 20 years old and is showing signs of wear-and-tear as well as not being at a comfort standard that restaurant goers expect,” she said.

“The project will include advice from a suitable designer and the replacement of chairs and tables within the restaurant.”

The council said:

• £75K will be used to upgrade the Building Management System, which will contribute to reducing Venue Cymru’s carbon emissions
• £98K will be used to improve Venue Cymru’s external decoration
• £462K of Transforming Towns Strategic Funding will pay for the protection of existing theatre and arena facilities. This will begin the process of upgrading the equipment to meet modern standards and reduce carbon impact
• These funds will also see the restaurant redesigned with replacement furniture
• These funds will also fund architect’s drawings and plans, providing a vision of the extended foyer spaces housing the ‘Culture Hub’. Conwy then hopes these plans can enable the authority to be ‘in a good position to apply for future funding, sharing its vision with stakeholders’.