Member Article

Goods shed visitor and enterprise centre conversion celebrates £1.1m lottery funding

A £1.1m lottery grant has been awarded to a scheme aiming to turn a redundant goods shed into a heritage and enterprise centre.

Residents of Meliden were celebrating after today’s Big Lottery Fund announcement marked a significant milestone in their bid to transform a Grade 2 listed former railway goods shed into a community asset.

Located on the busy Prestatyn to Dyserth Way, more than 60,000 pedestrian and cyclist movements were recorded passing the building during 2015.

The Shed will be transformed into a café with seating for 100, and heritage centre that present the history of the village and local mining and quarrying industries in two time-tunnels. Other facilities will includea family bike hire facility, allotments and orchard.

The centre will also encompass two artisan and business box workshop units, designed so visitors can watch crafts people at work. A community shop will enable small artisans to promote and sell their goods.

The lottery application was submitted by charitable housing association Grŵp Cynefin.

Grŵp Cynefin community initiatives manager, Mair Edwards said: “The project today takes a significant step forward and we are delighted that the Lottery has decided to support this great project. Once match funding is in place we expect work will begin during Easter 2017.

“The Shed is going to provide valuable employment, volunteering and learning opportunities, as well as preserve the heritage of Meliden.

“Grŵp Cynefin’s team will support The Shed staff, tenants and volunteers, as it grows to become a sustainable community resource and visitor attraction.

“The Meliden community should be congratulated for its tenacity in working over many years to regenerate the building for the benefit of the visitors and local people.”

Denbighshire Councillor Peter Evans who represents Meliden residents said: “We have had aspirations ever since its closure to develop the grade 2 listed building into a centre which incorporates the rich heritage of Meliden and encourages visitors to the area. It gives us great encouragement that the Lottery today has shared our vision and we can move forward with confidence.”

The Shed project has been made possible thanks to the freehold asset transfer of the building from Denbighshire County Council.

Denbighshire County Council’s head of facilities, assets & housing, Jamie Groves, said: “Restoration of the Goods Shed was the highest priority identified during the consultation which was undertaken in Meliden to help us put together an area plan for the village.

“The county council is delighted to have been a member of the partnership which is now going to be able to deliver this project for the benefit of the local community.”

Confirmation of the grant now enables further match funding to be drawn down.

Rob Pickford, Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee member and Chair of the CAT2 programme committee said: “This programme is helping Welsh communities to become stronger and more sustainable by assisting them to obtain and develop assets and improve where they live. By helping to transfer assets to enterprising organisations that actively involve and benefit the communities they serve, we are ultimately helping more people to benefit from their local community assets and also generating local income and employment.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .