A £1 million construction project to expand Y Lanfa: Powysland Museum and Welshpool Library is due to start next week.
Work will begin on May 7 after a contract was awarded by Powys County Council to Welshpool based contractor SWG Group.
It will include refurbishing the Grade II listed canal cottages for commercial use, before moving onto the museum and external areas in September.
The project will see new floor space added under the canopy area, remodelling the museum’s galleries, and a new public toilet installed, plus a lift, solar panels and air handling units.
The initiative will also include resurfacing the wharf area to reduce the risk of flooding and to make it more accessible, as well as adding a new landscaped area for public use.
OTHER NEWS:
- Powys Co-op closed while police investigate overnight break-in
- Newtown resident faces 'inevitable' prison sentence for Powys village assault
- Carer 'lost everything' after stealing from vulnerable to fund gambling issues
SWG Group director Steve Gough said: “We are delighted to have secured the contract to work on Y Lanfa, which is just a stone’s throw from our own head office on the other side of the canal. We, too, hope that this work will aid the regeneration of our home town.”
The museum will be closed throughout the work, but the library will reportedly stay open during construction. However, in the second phase during the autumn, the library will be operating a reduced service from the refurbished cottages.
Cllr David Selby, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a More Prosperous Powys said: “I’m really pleased that work is going to start soon on expanding the space available to the museum and library in Welshpool and on work to the canal side cottages that will allow them to be brought back into use. The designs for the extension to Y Lanfa look stunning.”
The works are being carried out as part of a £14 million Montgomery canal Restoration Project that the council was successful in securing UK Government Levelling Up funding for, working in partnership with Glandŵr Cymru (the Canal and River Trust in Wales).
The designs for Y Lanfa were created by Hughes Architects and the build is being managed by the council’s Property Design Services.
Richard Lewis, Architect and Director at Hughes Architects said: “From the outset, the vision for Y Lanfa has been about much more than simply renovating bricks and mortar.
"We see this scheme as an enabler, unlocking the immense potential of the canal side to become a catalyst for the regeneration of the entire town."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here