Penarth Pier's pavilion saved by council 'for community use'

Penarth Pavilion reopened in 2013 after falling into disuse since the 1990s

A seaside pavilion which shut last year has been saved after the council took back control from a failing charity.

The 1929 art deco building on Penarth pier was home to a cafe and cinema, and was hired for use as a wedding venue.

The charity Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd shut the pavilion last March due to Covid, and the cafe closed in November.

The Vale of Glamorgan council said it would keep the pavilion for community use and promised to unveil "exciting plans" for its future shortly.

The pavilion, built at the entrance to Penarth's Victorian pier, had been renovated and reopened in 2013 with £4m of lottery funding after falling into disuse in the 1990s.

Coronavirus forced the closure of the main part of the building last March

While the pandemic was given as a reason for the revamped building's closure last March, the charity had previously been struggling financially, according to accounts filed in 2018.

The Vale of Glamorgan council entered into talks last December aimed at securing the building's long-term future, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council leader Neil Moore said the authority and National Lottery funding organisations had "invested a significant amount of grant funding to create a community facility on Penarth Pier".

He pledged that event bookings for which deposits had been paid would be honoured.

The pavilion sits at the entrance to Penarth Pier, which opened in 1895

Deputy leader Lis Burnett added the council's aim was "to ensure that the Pavilion could be retained for community use".

"We are looking forward to working with a range of partners and community groups to shape the way forward for this iconic building," she said.

A PACL spokesman said: "Soon after the refurbishment of the Pavilion PACL faced a series of financial and management issues. These were not atypical of Lottery supported capital projects at the time, with insufficient emphasis put on the experience needed to make an ambitious business plan for an arts facility a reality.

"The rapid turnover of staff and directors was as much a symptom as it was a cause of this state of affairs. The PACL accounts for the 2018 financial year reflected this. Since that time the PACL directors strived to turn the situation around.

"However with the advent of the Pandemic and the Pavilion's closure it became clear to the two remaining directors that urgent action was required. For this reason they initiated talks with the Vale of Glamorgan Council, who brought in the Lottery funders to discuss a response. It became apparent these organisations felt the best solution was for the Pavilion to revert to the local authority.

"The PACL directors have acted responsibly in making this work. For the interest of the local community and all users of the Pavilion the directors wish the Vale Council good fortune in operating the building in a manner that is consistent with its original mission."

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