£950,000 grant towards new riverside venue in Newtown

The £1.5 million project for a two-storey building on the site of the former Radio Hafren studio in Newtown’s main car park will be funded through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Fund and the National Lottery’s Community Fund in Wales.

Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government Hannah Blythyn said the grant demonstrated the Welsh Government's firm commitment to investing in Mid Wales.

“The building will offer something different to Newtown, and provide a space where people can meet, congregate, relax, enjoy their surroundings, and be entertained. Its location is key in supporting the town centre, as it is conveniently located between the town and open green spaces and will provide a link between the two.

“It will add value to the wider work being undertaken to regenerate and revitalise the town, and it is great to see such a wide range of people involved in the project.”

Groundwork for the new building is expected to start in early summer and take a year to complete.

The development is being delivered by Open Newtown, a community enterprise that aims to maximise the potential of the town’s green and blue spaces, in partnership with Powys County Council, Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council and National Lottery’s Community Fund in Wales.

They say as well as construction jobs the Riverside Venue will create and secure additional jobs and support new and existing enterprises through its operations.

The new building will sit between a new destination play park and a BMX Pump Track and Mountain Bike Trail on Trehafren Hill, both Open Newtown projects that have received funding from the town council and The National Lottery Community Fund and Sport Wales.

Those involved say it will open up the River Severn and surrounding parkland to visitors and local residents, with canoe access points, nature/heritage trails and a forest/river school opportunity.

“This exciting new development will see a transformation of a dilapidated building, turning it in to a sustainable, modern, fully accessible, mixed-use facility,” said Owen Durbridge, Open Newtown’s chairman.

Newtown’s Mayor Councillor David Selby welcomed the large investment in the town.

“The Riverside Venue will be both a benefit to local residents and to visitors to the town, ideally situated between the destination play park, the town's main car park and town centre facilities.

Town clerk Ed Humphreys said: "This project demonstrates how working in partnerships and being bold and innovative can access inward investment which might otherwise be unavailable."