Maesteg Town Hall Redevelopment Secures Heritage Lottery Funding

Another significant step has been taken towards the redevelopment of Maesteg Town Hall with Bridgend County Borough Council, in partnership with Awen Cultural Trust, successfully securing support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Development funding of £96,800 has been awarded to the project so that a range of important preparation work can be completed in readiness for the next crucial funding application which will need to be submitted in early 2019.

As well as further work to establish the existing condition of the building structure, recording its historic features and developing the design, the funding will also be used to carry out a range of community engagement activities to capture the heritage of the Hall through the eyes of the people of the Llynfi Valley.

The Heritage Lottery funding is critical in helping to support plans to preserve this iconic 137-year-old building for future generations, carrying out essential work to the fabric of the building and creating vibrant community spaces for everyone to enjoy.

Richard Hughes, Chief Executive of Awen Cultural Trust, a registered charity, said: "We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has recognised our vision for the Hall and has asked us to develop our funding application to the next stage, which is a really positive step forward. Over the coming months, we will be undertaking further detailed surveys and investigations of the building and firming up the architectural plans to a 'technical design' level. Once again we’ll be working hand in glove with the user groups who have been so supportive to date.

"We will also be working with local groups and individuals to celebrate and share Maesteg's heritage, history, stories and memories through the interior design of the building. We are excited to hear the personal experiences, anecdotes and memories which make Maesteg Town Hall such an important and endearing part of people’s lives, so that we can weave these into the plans for the venue. Look out for the Ein Stori / My Story project this summer."

A project of this scale requires funding from various sources and we are thrilled that the Heritage Lottery Fund has provided this support so that we can progress to the next milestone in completing a major redevelopment of Maesteg Town Hall.

There will be a lot of activity in and around the town hall during the next few months and we will be engaging regularly with the local community every step of the way to showcase the designs for this exciting project and answering any queries that they have.

The first phase of regeneration in Maesteg began in 2003, and our multi-million pound investment over the years included the creation of the outdoor market square in 2013. The redevelopment of the town hall would complete the town centre’s regeneration, enabling us to realise the full potential of our earlier investments.

Councillor Charles Smith, Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration