A building in Lampeter town centre has been purchased as part of Ceredigion County Council’s Development and Regeneration Programme, with the view to renovate and bring the building back into use.
Works will include renovating the external elevations of 10-11 Harford Square, and returning the ground floor back into two commercial units with new traditional shopfronts along with the conversion of the upper floors into flats.
This pilot project will demonstrate how the Local Authority’s role can help reverse the decline of our county’s high streets, reviving empty buildings back into use, benefitting local businesses and the community. We are working to secure more empty properties to bring back into use and hope this will be the first of many.
In the interim, the Council is looking to introduce art work into their empty buildings in Aberystwyth to brighten up the high street until those buildings are occupied, so watch this space.
Bespoke Lampeter artwork
While plans are drawn up for the renovation, a temporary commissioned piece of art work bespoke to Lampeter, will be placed over the shop front.
Commissioned artist Hannah Davies is an award-winning illustrator, living and working by the seaside in south Wales, taking inspiration from the textures and patterns of the natural world.
Hannah’s inspiration for this art work has been collated from several local references, including: the Town Hall building, University building, Welsh Cobs, Dalis Fair, Lampeter Stallion Show and Agricultural Show, cows, sheep, river Teifi, bridge and swans, woollen mills, Welsh quilts, drovers road, gold mines and Longwood woodland.
Councillor Rhodri Evans, Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration, said: “This is a very exciting development in Lampeter and it’s great to see how the Council can take steps to regenerate and bring life into our town centres. We look forward to seeing the plans take shape, which will inevitably boost the economy and support the local community. And in the meantime, we hope the image in the front of the shop will bring warmth, happiness and smiles to the streets of Lampeter and inspires people to be creative.”
