Project Focus | Llandeilo | Re-purposing an Old Bank

Bringing a Landmark Building Back to Life

Listed Building Consent Granted ✔
Planning Permission Granted ✔

Last week I was delighted to share the news that I had successfully secured both Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent for the transformation of the former NatWest Bank building in the heart of Llandeilo into an exciting new Board Game Café ♟️☕

It has been fantastic to play a small part in helping bring forward such a creative and innovative project — one that will breathe fresh life back into a prominent building while introducing something genuinely unique to our town centre.

From my perspective, this was a particularly enjoyable project to work on. The process itself was relatively straightforward, beginning with a survey of the building where I had the opportunity to experience first-hand some of the incredible historic features hidden inside, including the wonderful original interior oak panelling and the beautiful glazed dome above — details that immediately remind you why buildings like this deserve preservation.

The proposed drawings needed to balance the requirements of the new use while ensuring minimal disturbance to the listed fabric of the building. This involved introducing minor internal alterations to accommodate compliant WC facilities alongside an improved small existing kitchen space, all while working around the original layout and features.

A integral part of the process was preparing the 'Planning, Heritage and Green Infrastructure Statement', a key document to support the application. This brought together a much wider consideration of the project, demonstrating how everything had been thought through — from improving accessibility into the building, considering future adaptability of the space and even identifying opportunities to introduce small elements of biodiversity enhancement, including the potential for planters and flowers on the external ledges.

What has been particularly striking (and quite surprising) over the last few days has been just how popular the original social media post has been, with an incredible amount of shares, comments and messages from people clearly excited about the future of the building. Over the weekend I had the pleasure of chatting with so many people locally and one thing became very clear… there is genuine enthusiasm not only about seeing this building brought back into active use, but also about the excitement of welcoming something as different and community-focused as a board game café into Llandeilo.

It has been genuinely refreshing to see such positive engagement around a project like this because it reinforces something important — people really do care about our town centres, about preserving historic buildings and about supporting exciting new independent, family business initiatives that add character and life back into our high streets. I now have a long list of requests to pass on to Nia, so that no one is disappointed; from War Hammer to D&D clubs and nights, to being able to 'pick a game of the shelf' to try and hoping 'the classics' will be available! I can't wait to see the community that builds around this space.

Projects like this also make me reflect on the changing nature of our towns. Buildings that once housed essential everyday services are increasingly becoming vacant as automation grows, physical services disappear and the way we interact with our town centres continues to evolve. While there is always some sadness in seeing those traditional services disappear, projects like this show how historic buildings can find entirely new purpose while continuing to serve the community in new and exciting ways. I explore this a little more over on Substack: https://clmorgan15.substack.com/p/when-the-banks-leave-town

This feels like exactly the kind of project that demonstrates how good design, heritage sensitivity and entrepreneurial creativity can work together to shape positive futures for our town centres, we have a lot of Listed properties in Llandeilo and I hope this encourages and inspires others to confidently plan a new project.

I am looking forward to seeing the next phase progress and very soon, seeing the doors open on what I think will become a fantastic addition to Llandeilo 🚀✨

Project Focus | Carmarthen Castle | Maintenance and Renovation | Listed Building and Scheduled Ancient Monument Consent

🏰 Progress at Carmarthen Castle 🏰 

Heritage Projects Can Move Forward

It is encouraging to see real progress now being made at Carmarthen Castle following the discussions and early-stage works I wrote about back in January 2025. After a recent conversation with project lead Nathan Goss, I was pleased to hear that both Listed Building and Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) Consent have now been approved for the next stages of work. 

For anyone involved in heritage projects, that is no small achievement.

Carmarthen Castle is an “extreme” example in conservation terms — a nationally significant monument with layers of archaeological, architectural and historic importance. Securing permissions for works on a site of this scale requires detailed heritage assessment, careful justification and a clear understanding of how conservation principles can sit alongside practical repair and public access. 🏛️

What this project demonstrates, however, is something I often try to explain to owners of older buildings: gaining permission to work on listed or historic structures is absolutely possible. Too often there is a perception that heritage legislation exists simply to prevent change. In reality, good conservation is usually about managing change properly.

That was one of the themes explored in my recent article over on my new Substack page:

👉 Listed Buildings and Conservation

Successful projects come from understanding significance, working collaboratively with conservation officers and specialists, and approaching repairs with patience and clarity rather than fear.

Projects such as Carmarthen Castle also highlight the importance of traditional heritage skills 🔨🧱

Conservation work depends on craftspeople who understand lime mortars, traditional carpentry, masonry repair and historic construction methods. Organisations such as Tywi Centre for Traditional Building Skills, which we are incredibly lucky to have based in Llandeilo, play an important role in keeping those skills alive by training the next generation of conservation practitioners and tradespeople.

As more historic buildings across Wales face repair challenges, that combination of practical skills, informed design and constructive dialogue with heritage bodies will only become more important.

Seeing progress at Carmarthen Castle is therefore positive not only for the monument itself, but for the wider message it sends: historic buildings can be repaired, adapted and protected successfully when the right expertise and collaborative approach are brought together. ✨

If permissions can be achieved for a castle of national significance, they can absolutely be achieved for listed homes and historic buildings in conservation areas too, so please get in touch to discuss your project! 🏡