Over £600,000 to transform historic Colwyn Bay building into creative hub

The listed building at 7 Abergele Road, will be completely transformed into meeting and office space for the creative industries by Conwy Council working with the North Wales Development Trust. 

Housing and Regeneration Minister Rebecca Evans said: 

“I recently announced an investment of £1.4m to rejuvenate commercial space in Colwyn Bay and I am delighted to announce this additional £610,000 of funding. The creative industries are a growth area in Wales and I hope that this funding will help the town to attract SMEs and jobs in the industry. This project will use a historic building to create a new story for the area.”

Cllr Louise Emery, Conwy County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development said:

“We’re delighted that this funding has been awarded to bring this striking and significant building in Colwyn Bay back into use to provide accommodation for businesses in this important and growing sector of the economy. The development promises to provide another important element in the continuing regeneration of the town.”

The development will include office space, networking and meeting facilities with the flexibility to use events in the evening. The space will be targeted at SMEs within the creative industry, building on the growing interest in Wales as a place for TV and film production. 

The investment is from the Welsh Government’s £108m Building for the Future Fund. The Fund is supported by £38m of EU funding and £16m from the Welsh Government as well as match funding from other public, private and third sector sources. The fund is regenerating town centres and surrounding areas by refurbishing or redeveloping derelict or under-used land and buildings and bringing them back to life. Funding for the Abergele Road project includes £183,000 of Welsh Government funding and £427,000 of EU funds.