PLANS to reopen historic Welsh language halls at Aberystwyth University have moved a step closer as the institution submits plans for a £10m renovation.

The university has said it intends to “proceed with the project” to provide refurbished Welsh-medium accommodation at Pantycelyn by September 2019.

The Pantycelyn Project Board, set up in the wake of protests over plans to close the hall on Penglais hill and move Welsh-language students to the new multi-million-pound Penglais Farm development and at Penbryn, handed in its final report last year and recommended that £10,440,000 is spent on completely renovating the building, which have been dedicated Welsh-language halls since 1973 and were home to Prince Charles during his time as a student in Aberystwyth.

The plan will see 200 en-suite bedrooms, with full catering provision and social spaces but would, however, put Pantycelyn as the most expensive catered accommodation in the whole university, with a report estimating that the cost to students could rise to over £22 a night.

Architects have now drafted detailed plans which have been submitted to Ceredigion council.

In drawing up their concept designs, the team of architects held meetings with students and estates staff at the university.

If planning permission for the changes to the Grade II listed building is approved, the aim is to reopen Pantycelyn by September 2019.

“This is another important milestone in the history of Pantycelyn as we move a step closer again to reopening the building as a hall of residence,” Gwerfyl Pierce Jones, pro-chancellor of Aberystwyth University and chair of the Pantycelyn Project Board said.

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