The conversion of a former bank into a café, bar and grill would make Machynlleth a “destination with plenty of local attractions”, developers have said.

The former Barclays building in Heol Pentrehedyn has been empty since the bank closed in September 2018, but Mach 1 Leisure Ltd wants to take over the ground and basement floors of the building to open a new café, bar and grill.

Alan Murphy, of Mach 1 Leisure, said there were doubts over the future of other businesses in the town and said that converting the former bank would provide a new facility in Machynlleth.

He said: “The demise of commercial business in town centres is a huge problem and is of great concern to us all, hence the Powys Local Development Plan, policies R1, R3 and DM11 in particular actively encourage business types A1 to A3.

“A café/bar/grill operation offers one of the highest potential revenue streams of any town centre operation, particularly in a vibrant market town like Machynlleth.

“Machynlleth attracts some very high-profile events such as a comedy festival, cycle enduro and World Rally Car, not to mention local events such as beer festivals, carnival, rugby sevens and lantern procession. Our proposal is an opportunity to reinforce and secure Machynlleth’s reputation as a destination with plenty of local attractions.”

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