An application to carry out renovations to Machynlleth’s Owain Glyndwr Centre has been submitted to Powys County Council.

Following a series of surveys, workshops and meetings over the future of Machynlleth’s historic community centre, thought to be the site of Wales' first-ever parliament in the 1400s, an application for listed building consent to add new facilities to the building has now been handed to the council.

The bid was put together by Machynlleth based architects George + Tomos Penseiri, who were appointed to in 2023 to carry out a feasibility study of how Canolfan Glyndwr could be improved or developed.

According to the planning application, one of the themes that came from the various meetings and workshop’s around the building’s future was that several of its meeting rooms were going unused due to lack of access for wheelchair users on the first floor.

The application adds: “Toilets are an issue, there is only one ground floor toilet which, is in a poor condition, there is no toilet provision for the disabled, and the number of toilets does not match the requirements for the number of people using the building.

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As a result, the proposed changes include improving the building’s accessibility by adding a disabled and a disabled toilet, energy efficiency improvements such as secondary glazing works to windows, a solar panel array on the east roof elevation, air source heat pumps and a new heating system.

Canolfan Owain Glyndwr is made up of three sections. One is the Grade 1 listed Parliament House, believed to be the site of Wales’ first ever parliament convened by Owain Glyndwr in 1404.

The second is the Grade II listed adjoining Institute, built in 1906, which houses a café, shops and meeting rooms. The third is the rear lawn.

The application also cites a “lack of cohesion” between these three sections and hopes that the renovations will benefit all three elements.

One example it gives is the prospect of weddings, saying: “Canolfan Glyndwr holds a wedding licence and has held Marquee weddings on the rear lawn, this can provide a good source of income and infrastructure to facilitate this and similar events should be developed.”

Writing in a consultee comment for the ward council, Cllr Mike Williams said: “Having read the plans and supporting documents, the project has my total support.”