A FORMER Llandrindod Wells restaurant will be converted into a multi-use sustainability hub for a range of community projects thanks to funding of £300,000.

The former Worth Your Salt burger restaurant on the corner of South Crescent and Middleton Street will be refurbished, refitted and reused this spring as the home of Llandrindod’s new Repair and Reuse Cafe, community lending library and co-working space.

The project will be made possible with funding from the Welsh Government and the support of both Trawsnewid Llandrindod Transition (TLT) and sustainability charity Severn Wye.

Last year, the Welsh Government invited applications to its Circular Economy Fund, designed to help communities promote the country’s shift toward a circular economy by keeping products, materials and goods in circulation for as long as possible – avoiding waste and maximising their life. Llandrindod Wells Town Council and Severn Wye – the charity behind Llandrindod Wells Working Together – seized the opportunity and applied to the fund, receiving over £300,000 to invest in this local project.

With this funding, the council has purchased a property to house a repair and reuse hub run by Llandrindod Transition, as well as community sharing projects established by local residents such as a school uniform exchange, the ‘Cariad a Cwtch’ baby bank and a lending library to borrow and share things like DIY, IT and camping equipment.

Town council clerk Jane Johnston is excited by what the venue will mean for Llandrindod. “The town council are committed to supporting a low carbon Wales, so being able to obtain and use Welsh Government funding to establish a sustainability hub in the centre of Llandrindod Wells demonstrates just how important the circular economy is to our community,” said Jane.

“Supporting local people to share resources and reduce waste is a practical way that we can all contribute to a sustainable future. I’m very proud that we’ve been able to provide a central space to do this together.”

The hub is scheduled to open later this spring and will be a vibrant community facility for residents of Llandrindod to use. Its three floors are currently being refurbished by a team of local contractors, managed by the team from Severn Wye, who will manage the centre, supported by local volunteers.

Celebrating the announcement, Llandrindod mayor Steve Deeks-D’Silva said: “To give this iconic town centre building a new lease of life in this way feels extremely fitting, especially as we work towards establishing a culture of sustainability here in Llandrindod.”

By securing funding to establish a sustainability centre in the heart of Llandrindod, there will now be the space to provide a home for a regular repair cafe, a place for the community to share and swap resources, and a visible town centre venue to use to deliver many more projects in future.