Shopfronts in Aberystwyth are the subject of a major renovation
programme intended to improve the town's visual appearance. The works, which are becoming increasingly visible around the town,
are being funded by a combination of grants and interest-free loans put
together by the Ceredigion Council and funded by the Welsh Government as part of
Aberystwyth’s status as a Regeneration Area. So far 13 buildings have been
renovated, some incorporating more than one shop, with work on another seven in progress and many more expected.
Aberystwyth has always had some wonderful vernacular architecture
that has often gone unnoticed and been allowed to decay. The principle of the
scheme is that encouraging enough interested shop-owners to renovate their
properties improves the whole image of Aberystwyth, by making best use of the
town’s innate characteristics, which in turn attracts people into the town and boosts
the economy.
Typically a scheme for a particular building might include painting
that picks out architectural features, repair work, new windows, decluttering
by getting rid of redundant hanging wires and aerials, bilingual signage and, where
necessary, conversion back to a traditional-style shop-front.
Northgate Street, identified as a neglected area and an
important entranceway into the town, is to be particularly targetted and most
properties in the street will be improved in the next few months.
The work is taking place with grant and loan funding from a
combination of Town Improvement and Community Enhancement Grants funded by the
Welsh Government’s Housing Renewal Area fund. The work builds on a smaller scheme begun in
the town in 2008. Cardigan and Tregaron have also seen similar successful
schemes in the past decade.