Aberystwyth Town Council is keen to “keep the integrity” of a former Catholic church, in an estimated £1 million restoration and transformation into community hub.

In the next few weeks, the town council will begin engaging with the community about their thoughts on the future of Neuadd Gwenfrewi, formerly known as St Winefride’s church, which was purchased in November 2020 with the intention of transforming it into their base and a community hub.

The church, which is the first building to be owned by the town council since 1974, was bought for £360,000.

Clerk to the council Gweneira Raw Rees said the council estimates repair and development work will cost around £1m, which will be “funded by various grants hopefully”.

The clerk spoke to the Cambrian News about the project and their plans to “protect a landmark and provide a facility”: “We’re trying to keep Aberystwyth’s history and a beautiful building alive, but also making use of it in some way.”

While all the town council’s plans are subject to funding and are “not set in stone”, they hope to turn the presbytary into their offices, preserve the church as a community space for music or official events, and then rebuild the garage and former Scout hut as a passive house to be used as a resource for the local community and various groups, for example a community kitchen.

The council hopes the location will become used widely by the community: “Penparcau hub has things like this but there’s nothing in Aberystwyth of this sort. So it needs to be flexible for what people want and need.”

She added: “It’s a big plot of land, so we can have offices on one side, and the other side is just for the community.

“A lot of the parishioners still exist. We’re doing something non-religious, but in doing so we are respecting the church and using it for something good.

“If we can preserve it but use it, it becomes a museum piece.”

The first step for the council will be to engage with the community and find out their thoughts.

“For lottery funding, you need to prove a need. We think there is a need, but we need the community to think so as well,” she said.

“We need people to get behind us.”

The second step will be to get advice on emergency work that needs to be done.

While the “church is in surprisingly good condition considering it has been unused since 2012”, the clerk said work to ensure the presbytary is safe will take priority.

“The building needs to breathe again,” Gweneira added. “For the greater benefit you have to be brave – it’s a big project but it’s for the benefit of the people of Aberystwyth for years to come. It’ll be a place for people to be proud of.

“There’s lots of preservation and conservation work to be done. We’re not spoiling the church, but using it for what it’s best for, music events, and so on.”

There is no definite timeline for when Neuadd Gwenfrewi will be ready, but Gweneira said work is “starting to happen”.

“I’d like it to be done tomorrow, but these things take time. The skate park took a few years; it was one of my first jobs.

“It’ll take a few years. But it will be worth it, because it’ll be here for decades and decades. It’s already been here since around 1874.”

The lease on their current council offices is up in 2024, so the council are hoping the presbytary will be in a fit state to house their offices by this time.