Group call to stop community hall being turned into flats

A group is calling on the council to stop a community hall from being turned into flats.

In June a planning application was submitted which would turn the historic Buarth Hall into nine self-contained flats.

One community group, which had hoped to purchase the building to turn it into a non-profit climbing centre, is calling on residents to submit their objections to the plans which would stop the hall from being a community asset.

The group, Tŷ Bowldro CIC, argues that the proposal ignores their viable, fully-funded community solution.

Volunteers of the community group had put in over 2,200 volunteer hours to create the purchase bid for the hall, and secured backing to turn the hall into a world-class indoor bouldering, fitness and youth social hub before their purchase offer was turned down by a cash buyer.

"We are not speculative developers," says Marcus Boal, Chairperson of Tŷ Bowldro CIC, formerly Bowldro Buarth. "We are a community enterprise ready to save this building, secure its future with a statutory asset lock, and preserve it for the public good.

“We have the funding, the business plan, and the community mandate to keep Buarth Hall accessible to the public.

“It is heartbreaking to see plans for private flats move forward when the community is standing ready to buy the hall and keep it open for everyone."

The group had formally submitted a cash-backed offer of £160,000 for the building, arguing that their project provides a sustainable future for the site that the private residential conversion fails to offer.

The cash-buyer, RND Real Estate Ltd, has since submitted a planning application which would turn the building into eight one-bed flats and one two-bed flat.

The applicant, Rhys Norrington-Davies from RND Real Estate, has also requested in the application to waive the council policy that requires 20 per cent of all housing to be affordable, arguing “lack of viability” for this particular scheme.

The group Tŷ Bowldro argues that the application fails to follow planning policy by “ignoring the existence of a viable community purchaser”, and doesn’t include parking plans for the residential units in an area that already struggles with congestion.

They also point to the lack of a heritage impact statement and parking survey, and that the application includes “non-sympathetic” window replacements and rooflights on the “key building” within the Aberystwyth Conservation Area.

Aberystwyth Town Council resolved to formally object to the application in their July meeting.

The hall was built by Aberystwyth man William Henry Colby in 1895.

However the planning application argues that because the site sat on the market and was vacant for five years, there appear to be alternative sites to accommodate community activities, including a nearby church less than 50 metres from the site, and lists 17 other alternative venues.

Residents have until 10 August 2026 to submit their comments to Ceredigion County Council’s planning department via email at [email protected], quoting application reference A260370.

RND Real Estate Ltd has been contacted for comment.