The owners of the former post office building in Aberystwyth have been handed planning permission for refurbishment work at the site, some of which had already taken place, as attempts to rent it out continue.

The Post Office at the Grade II listed building on Great Darkgate Street closed in 2016 despite a long campaign to save it.

The Post Office moved to share a space with W H Smith on Terrace Road.

The building, built in 1901, has since remained empty despite attempts to rent it out.

Owners were given permission at the end of the year to make repairs to the front façade including lowering the level of the window sill, modifying the shop-front windows and making alterations to the post box, despite complaints that some of the work was completed before permission was sought.

Aberystwyth Town Council said it was “extremely disturbed” that the “applicant has taken the liberty of carrying out the works and indeed completed the refurbishment to this Grade II listed building prior to obtaining planning permission”.

In its planning report, owners said: “The proposed changes are so subtitle in design as to be barely perceivable to the general public, but will have a significant impact on improving the aesthetic of the frontage to make it more attractive to a national retail company."

See this week’s south papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now