Bridgend County Borough Council has announced that The Buccaneer, a well-known Porthcawl seafront building with a hundred-year-old history, is to be retained and restored rather than demolished.
The Buccaneer stands at the corner where Mackworth Road joins the seafront at Sandy Bay. Its previous owner had applied for planning permission to demolish it and replace it with new development. Plans are now moving ahead to reinstate the building’s original 1930s architectural features, remove mismatched modern additions, restore its ‘ocean liner’ design and make use of its views of the beach and sea.
Ideas for future use are still in the early stages. Initial suggestions include a new restaurant or café, as well as space for shops and kiosks to make the most of its seafront location.
Over almost 100 years the building has served as a café, ice cream parlour, nightclub and bar. It began life in the 1930s as the Continental Café before becoming Sidoli’s Ice Cream Parlour after the First World War. That use lasted until the mid-1950s, when it was transformed into a live music venue called the Rising Sun with an upper-floor nightclub, the Pagoda Rooms. It continued in that role until the late 1970s, when it was renamed The Buccaneer and re-launched as a local bar. The building closed entirely in 2024 after its former owner sought permission to demolish it.
It was then acquired by Welsh Government so the site could be used within the waterfront regeneration plans drawn up by Bridgend County Borough Council.
Councillor Colin Davies, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing, said: “The Buccaneer has had a long and colourful association with Porthcawl, and we want that to continue with the venue once more becoming an iconic seafront landmark and a stand-out part of our plans to regenerate the waterfront area.
“The way in which the council and Welsh Government want to bring The Buccaneer back into public life as a high-quality heritage restoration offers a taste of how we are approaching the overall waterfront regeneration. Whether it is housing and infrastructure or leisure and community facilities, we intend to deliver the highest standards of quality at all levels.
“Retaining and restoring this building to its former glory can only be a positive move for Porthcawl, and I am looking forward to seeing how The Buccaneer will be used in its new lease of life.”
As part of the regeneration, demolition postponed from earlier in the year to avoid inconvenience during the summer season will also resume. It will focus largely on the former funfair and Beachcomber site and will include removal of the former Wimpy building, which the council says will ensure the revitalised Buccaneer has unobstructed views of the beach and sea.
While demolition work takes place, the council says every effort will be made to minimise inconvenience, keep the area open, and ensure pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users and parents with pushchairs can continue to use the seafront.
Plans are also in place to provide interim seafront leisure facilities ranging from padel courts and crazy golf to beachfront yoga and surf schools, and to keep them available while regeneration work is underway.
