Penarth Pier café reopens as pavilion future use considered

The café has reopened for takeaway service only as Covid restrictions are still in place

A café in a 1920s pier pavilion has reopened as plans are considered for the whole building's future use.

The art deco seaside building in Penarth, which closed last year due to the pandemic, is being refurbished by the Vale of Glamorgan council.

The authority has taken control from a charity which ran a café, cinema and exhibition space there.

More than 1,000 people have responded to the council's call for ideas for how the pavilion should be used.

The 1929 pavilion, at the entrance to a Victorian pier, had been run by Penarth Arts and Craft Limited after being renovated and reopened in 2013 with £4m of lottery funding.

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

However, the charity struggled with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and several directors left the organisation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Rob Thomas, managing director of Vale of Glamorgan council, said: "Having recently taken over operation of Penarth Pier Pavilion, we have quickly set about assessing the condition of the building, arranging repairs and organising for it to be thoroughly cleaned.

"A café operated by the council's Big Fresh Catering Company is also up and running."

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

Food and drink from local suppliers is available - currently for takeaway only due to Covid restrictions - with profits going towards healthy school meals for the county's pupils.

For the future, the council has suggested using the pavilion as a live music venue, an exhibition space, or a meeting space for talks, classes and after-school clubs.

Mr Thomas said: "This is a thrilling opportunity to re-establish the pavilion as a focal point for Penarth and a space that the whole community can enjoy."