The ground-breaking Goods Shed project in Llanelli has received a second major boost with a £58,800 development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in Wales. The award follows hot on the heels of a £50,000 development grant from Big Lottery Wales. The Goods Shed project aims to save and restore the derelict Grade II Listed building in Marsh Street and bring it back into life as a dynamic multi-purpose hub for the community. The whole scheme is currently estimated to cost £1.7million.
“Our project is hugely ambitious and the biggest independent project of its kind in West Wales,” said Nia Griffith MP who chairs Llanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust.
“We have been working hard to secure the necessary funds which will allow us to do the preparation work of reports from surveyors and architects and planning permissions. Of crucial importance to us now is full consultation with people in Llanelli as we finalise the plans for the building: we are still very open-minded about the future use of the building.
We are grateful to HLF and Big Lottery Wales for showing confidence in the project, particularly as accessing grant funding is very competitive. We are also very grateful to Carmarthenshire County Council and the Architectural Heritage Fund, for their help to date, and, in addition, we have a pledge of £400,000 from the Railway Heritage Trust.
Our current plans involve establishing a multi-purpose community hub to include offices, arts facilities, a cafe and a heritage experience. Once the building is renovated and in daily use it will be a huge improvement for this area, near Llanelli Railway Station, and will be a real boost for the local community. Many thanks to our project officer Robert Lloyd, our trustees and all those who have supported the project to date.”