Derelict building set for a £250,000 makeover

A prominent four-storey vacant building in the heart of Maesteg town centre is to be transformed and brought back into use as part of a £250,000 makeover.

The former Family Value building, which is located on Commercial Street, has been vacant for a number of years and requires significant work before it can reopen.

The building previously made news headlines in 2012 when police discovered that criminals had set up an illegal electricity supply and were using the vacant space to grow more than 1,500 cannabis plants.

Now regeneration officers from Bridgend County Borough Council have worked alongside the private owner of the building to successfully bid for more than £250,000 of Targeted Regeneration Funding from Welsh Government.

Plans are in place to create two all-new ground floor and basement commercial units at the building along with replacement shopfronts and extensive internal and external work.

A new roof and replacement windows will be installed, and the building will also benefit from several additional new window and door openings.

The works will also ensure that the upper floors of the building are prepared and ready for separate future plans which will seek to use them to create new residential space and accommodation.

With planning permission in place, we hope to see contractors on site and working at the building as soon as next month. This is a significant investment into a town centre property which has stood vacant for a long time, and I am grateful to Welsh Government, the building owner and the council’s Regeneration team for working together to make this project a reality.

As well as complementing our ongoing efforts to bring vacant properties back into use, this work is going to prevent the building from being used for illegal and anti-social behaviour, and will instead ensure that it draws further fresh investment into the area. The £250,000 funding is also just the initial amount that will be invested into this landmark building, and will set the stage for further development of its upper levels which will ultimately create new town centre residential accommodation.

It is one of several projects that are going to have a significant impact upon Maesteg in the next year or two, and I am looking forward to seeing how the refurbished building is going to benefit both the area and the local economy.

Councillor Charles Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Education