Redevelopment plans for the Port Talbot's Plaza Cinema have just taken a big step closer to reality.
Neath Port Talbot Council has finally submitted applications for planning permission and listed building consent to turn the art-deco cinema into a community hub with a café, two retail units and offices.
The plans would also see the creation of a hall with 250 seats, multi-purpose rooms, a gym as well parking.
Built in the 1930s, the Plaza - which closed in 1999 and hasn't been used since - still boasts that classic cinema architecture from the outside, which is why it's Grade II listed.
Derelict, decaying and with holes in the roof, pictures released recently showed the art-deco cinema as a sad shadow of its former glory, having welcomed the young Anthony Hopkins and Richard Burton in its heyday.
As part of the applications, the council is seeking permission to knock down the rear part of the Grade II listed structure and construct a new extension while retaining the famous front section of the cinema which includes its distinguished, original facade.
A design and access statement submitted as part of the applications says: “The proposal looks to retain and make use of the entrance section of the existing Plaza Cinema – a key element in the history of Port Talbot , bringing it back to life without further degradation.
“Facilities provided, to suit the intended tenant, also enable local residents to be able to be provided with social / health and work area opportunities in a central location, within a modern, sustainable environment.
“The design for the proposed development has evolved through consultation by project architects GWP with Neath Port Talbot Council, CADW and other stakeholders including the YMCA."
It is planned the Port Talbot branch of the YMCA will occupy and manage the community hub when it is finished.
The design requires the highest standards in terms of combining building heritage and its local historical context with a contemporary new-build design, a spokesman for Neath Port Talbot council said.
He added: "The venue is intended to be a vibrant and inclusive hub strategically located in the town centre, close to the railway station and transport amenities. The design approach is to 'create an atmosphere that will result in a diverse patronage'.
"Other planned facilities include a conference area, a dojo and dance studio plus a digital recording studio."
The project has received £5.5m funding from the Welsh Government ’s Building for the Future programme.
Work is due to start on the site towards the end of this year and it is hoped the community, wellbeing and enterprise hub could open in 2020.
Full details of the applications can be found on the Council’s website at www.npt.gov.uk/planning (application refs. P2019/5237 and P2019/ 5238).
