Owner's hopes for Welshpool's Pinewood reopening date

Powys County Times

3 days ago

The owners of Welshpool's Pinewood tavern have provided an update on the town centre redevelopment project.
After more than a year in development, the project to revitalise and re-open the once abandoned Pinewood Tavern building on Broad Street, Welshpool, is still underway.
Work on the empty building began in October 2023 after it was purchased by Mike Harris, the Welshpool businessman and chairman of Cymru Premier champions The New Saints FC.
His wife Rhian Harris, who is spearheading the project, spoke to the County Times about progress on work to restore of the building, which has been vacant since it closed in 2018.
She said: 'It's exciting times. We've tried to keep things under wraps as the development has continued. It's been a big project as it's taken a lot to re-develop a building that was left to disrepair for so long.
'It's become a bigger project than we anticipated due to the state of the building. It's been quite a job to take it back to where it once was. We want to be sensitive, look after the original features and put it back together very delicately when restoring it.
'The apartments upstairs are nearly finished and the downstairs project is also progressing.
'We started clearing it in October 2023, which has taken a bit longer than we first thought but it has been a really good journey.
'It would be good to restore a piece of the town centre and contribute to it looking more appealing with something that might help draw people back to the centre.
'The Pinewood and Welshpool town centre is a gem in Mid Wales, one that needs to be looked after.'
Parts of the Pinewood complex include two separately listed Grade II buildings, making the refurbishment unusually complex.
The building will be revived as tourist accommodation, with up to six apartments housed in the renovated structure as well as a restored version of the tavern.
Mrs Harris added: 'We're hoping to lease out both the pub and BnB business upstairs, either as one entity or as separate ventures depending on who wants to take it on. We're looking for the right people so we can be flexible depending on what that ideal person wants to do.
'It's been a really good development and journey, with a great team on board that's been kept local with both the workforce and materials, keeping things in the community at every opportunity.