Welshpool Town Council has shown its support for the proposal to convert the upper floors of the town’s job centre into flats.

At a meeting of the council’s planning committee, held on January 18, councillors discussed plans submitted by Hughes Architects, on behalf of Birmingham based Sienna Ria, that could see 22 new flats being created on the first and second floor of Dolanog House.

The application for planning permission was submitted in December 2023 and is currently pending approval by Powys County Council, but Welshpool Town Council have voted to show support for the proposal, with a few requests related to the affordability of the new flats.

Town mayor Cllr Nick Howells said: “I’m happy to see after all these years the building has been empty that it may be utilised and provide accommodation for people.”

Cllr Billy Spencer added: “I think this is well needed but I will say the appearance of that building is foul, so I think maybe if we accept the proposal we put a note to ask the building’s appearance be updated to make it more aesthetically pleasing.”

Having expressed enthusiasm for the proposition in broad terms, the council moved onto discussing the affordability and sustainability of the properties.

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“I hope these flats would be available for young people as well as older,” said Cllr Geoffrey Lanagan. “As we have a desperate need for affordable accommodation in this town.”

Cllr Phil Pritchard added: “The biggest need within Welshpool is for one bedroom accommodation. If this will go through and be done there’s no better use of the building than to supply that type of housing as it’s our biggest need.

"Half of the applicants for housing in this town are for one-bedroom houses.”

The plans state that the conversion would see 20 new one-bedroom flats with two additional two-bedroom flats, with 20 percent designated as affordable housing, as well as altering the layout of the parking areas and improving the energy standards of the building.

The council proposed requesting that more of the proposed flats be designated as affordable housing as well as assurance that they would be viable under the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Cllr David France added: “A lot of affordability of living in accommodation is how viable they are to live in and keep warm. So, we would like to see something in the way of how sustainable and viable these flats are in the long term.