Venue Cymru Levelling Up Consultation

Venue Cymru Levelling Up Consultation

In the coming weeks, members of the Cabinet will be asked to give the green light for a consultation with the public.

Conwy’s Economy & Culture Service is seeking permission from councillors to consult on moving Llandudno library into the extended Venue Cymru building as part of its £10m Levelling Up project, in order to deliver improved accessibility and enhanced service for library users.

We are also relocating the Llandudno Tourist Information Service within Venue Cymru to safeguard this service at a time when many local authorities are closing their Tourist Information Centre outlets.

The UK Government announced in March that Venue Cymru had been awarded £10m as part of the Levelling Up fund for nationally significant culture projects across Great Britain.

Since that announcement a project team has been working on detailed plans to enhance the facilities at Venue Cymru. These plans will be submitted to the UK Government as part of a Business Case that is required to access the funding.

Moving the Llandudno library to Venue Cymru would provide extended access times to the library collections by including a self-service checking in and out facility for books available when the building is open. It would also mean a café would be available on site as well as a range of cultural activities shared with the library service. The library would be situated on the ground floor providing much better access for those with disabilities, reduced mobility or using prams.

Whilst the service will move from the town centre, the Tourist Information Centre will be located in a culture and tourism focused building with an onsite car park available to visitors. They will also be able to use the café to linger in the building whilst staff help with their enquiries.

Cllr Aaron Wynne, Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “Arts and culture are of huge importance in delivering a positive economic impact and in supporting the wellbeing of our communities. It’s vital that we explore every avenue to help safeguard and enhance the future of our services.”

If Councillors agree to the consultation, the consultation is expected to start later this summer, and the results will be taken back to Councillors for a decision later this year.

Notes:

Venue Cymru welcomes visitors from around the UK and internationally every year, delivering over £30m in economic benefit to local businesses as well as offering visitors and our local community an exciting, diverse range of cultural events and activities. 

Cabinet report will be published here: Conwy Local Democracy : Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday, 23 July 2024, 10.00 am