Bridgend Council’s Cabinet will be updated on a proposed £20million refurbishment of Porthcawl’s Grand Pavilion (pdf) later today.
The project was successfully awarded just under £18million of “Levelling Up” grant funding by the UK Government in January. Bridgend Council will match fund this by just under £2million.
The project will create new function rooms, office spaces and cafe facilities, make improvements to the auditorium and will include an accessible “changing places” facility.
The conditions of the UK Government grant require the project to be completed by Spring 2025, with an expectation that a contractor will be in place and work will start by Spring 2024.
As a result, the Pavilion is set to temporarily close following this year’s Christmas programme of events.
There’s a risk that if key deadlines aren’t met – particularly the Spring 2024 start date – the entire project would be in doubt.
Due to these tight timescales, the council’s usual procurement guidelines have been suspended. Awen Cultural Trust is taking on most of the project management responsibilities on BCBC’s behalf and has already appointed a design team.
