A GRANT of nearly £70,000 has been approved to bring a former pet shop back into use and convert an office above it into a flat.
The money is being made available from Welsh Government funding for regenerating high streets and town and city centres.
Torfaen Borough Council has approved giving £68,924.21 from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Placemaking Grant Fund to the owner of 1 Market Street in Pontypool to cover the cost of refurbishing the building and conversion of the first floor to a one-bedroom flat.
In July the council approved a planning application, made by Thomas Mounty of Iliana Developments Ltd, who listed the Market Street shop as their address on the application form, for the conversion of the first floor office to residential use as well as a new door and canopy.
The plans were changed following an objection from the council’s heritage officer to the original proposal to remove the oriel bay window, that protrudes from side of the building, and replace it with a door. It was then agreed to keep the window with the new door to its side.
A report by the council’s senior economy and strategic regeneration officer, Rachel Standfield, said the owner has “invested in the purchase of the property” but advised “he has insufficient funds available to compete the project” without grant support.
Her report stated: “This building is on a key circulation route within Pontypool town centre and is in the conservation area. It is vacant and in need of refurbishment and renovation to enable future occupation.”
The refurbishment and conversion work is expected to cost £92, 213.15, with the figures assessed by Blaenau Gwent council’s quantity surveyor, and of that 70 per cent will be covered by the £68,000 grant. A restriction will prevent the sale of the building for a five-year period and if the grant conditions are breached the council will be able to claw back the award.
Torfaen council had £500,000 available from the Transforming Towns fund available to spend this year after it was extended for a further two years, with an available balance of £309,257.77.
The council will have £450,000 from the fund available in 2026/27 and it can be used to support projects ranging from converting vacant upper floor units to residential to setting up pop-up shops in vacant retail units to buying new seats and planters, town centre toilets or projects to analyse WiFi use.