An £800,000 facelift could be on the cards for a Pwllheli arts centre.

A report to Gwynedd Council Cabinet next week will ask for £570,000 of council funds to finance improvements to Neuadd Dwyfor, which officers believe would eventually be recouped through better ticket sales.

According to the council, while members of the public feel there are many positives at Neuadd Dwyfor – which houses a theatre, cinema and library – complaints have been made regarding the quality of the seating, foyer and lack of food and drink.

The centre attracted 52,000 visitors in 2018/19, but there is a need to show new films closer to their release dates and a need to invest in better technology.

Efforts have previously been made to outsource the facility to a community group and even shut it altogether.

But officers now believe the best course of action would be to “invest to save” and maximise profits, due to it being the only such facility in south Gwynedd – despite Neuadd Dwyfor currently costing the council £161,000.

A report on the venue, which first opened its doors to show silent movies in 1911, will be presented to Cabinet members and notes Neuadd Dwyfor has “now reached a crossroads in terms of its future”, with £569,447 being earmarked from the authority’s Transformation Fund.

The remainder of the cost is likely to come thanks to £89,867 in capital receipts of the economy and community department and £120,000 from the Welsh Government.

“As closing Neuadd Dwyfor would also require one-off investment to be achieved, the difference in one-off investment between both options (closing or improving the facility) is £399,500,” the report states.

“Closure would clearly lead to more savings to the council, however it would also lead to the loss of an important facility locally. If all potential savings are achieved the facility would still cost £61,670 to all the county’s taxpayers.

“Closing would detrimentally affect the town of Pwllheli and the area in terms of the economy and regeneration, and from an arts, cultural and linguistic viewpoint.”

A decision is expected when Gwynedd Council’s Cabinet meets in Caernarfon next Tuesday, 10 March.