- On Saturday 1st April, 2023, St Clears Town Council will take over the day-to-day running of the Gate building in Pentre Road, St Clears, the former home of the West Wales Craft Centre. This presents an opportunity for the community in St Clears to create a new Community Hub on Pentre Road in the centre of the town. This will be a fresh start for the building and a chance to redefine and develop what is on offer there. The Town Council would like your help as a community to shape what you feel you want, need, or can offer to support and develop this exciting project.
- St Clears Town Council has been in discussion with Carmarthenshire County Council for the past three years to secure the asset transfer of the day-to-day management of the Gate to the Town Council and ultimately to develop it further through a Community Trust. Having now signed a lease for the building, St Clears Town Council has a vision that the Gate can become a base for:
Creative activities, including the creative arts and media.
Commercial activities, including a business hub, the library and civic facilities.
Community activities, including meeting/function rooms and a vibrant café area.
- Following a procurement exercise, St Clears Town Council have appointed Landsker Business Solutions, who are based in Whitland, to undertake a community engagement exercise as a follow up to the earlier surveys and the open day held in October 2022. We are working with them to create more community involvement to determine an appropriate branding for the project, to clarify the purpose and to explore the potential uses for community benefit – a building run by the community for the community.
- Over the next five to six weeks, Landsker will be active in the community engaging with residents using a range of approaches including an online questionnaire, direct telephone calls, talking to residents and to shoppers. There will also be a media campaign to promote the change of management and to raise awareness of the new initiative. This will culminate in an Open Session for the public to be held on Saturday 25th March at the Gate from 9.30 to 12.30 with focus groups created to enable attendees to share their views.
- The Town Council sees this as a long-term project to create a self-sustaining community facility that will, through a combination of functions, create a legacy building that can serve the local community and visitors to the Town for many years to come. Community activities and the facilities that it offers can be utilised to support the Town to grow and develop. This will take time and the Town Council envisages a phased approach to this transition as we learn more about the needs and wants of the community.
- From April, the top floor will continue to provide a creative hub, and the middle floor will host the Library, the Police and an improved Civic area with a Council chamber and an office for the Town Council Clerk. Meeting rooms will also be available for the public and business users. It is envisaged that as soon as possible, the Café will reopen so that it once again provides a focal point for residents and visitors to meet. Once the consultation exercise has been concluded and the report from the consultants has been considered by the Town Council, we will gradually make the Gallery space available for a variety of uses to meet those needs and wants identified by the community.
- As such, we will be inviting all those who expressed an interest in contributing or volunteering for this project to meet the council to assist in setting up a small group to support the day-to-day development of the community aspect of the facility. This will give us an opportunity for the community to work in partnership to develop what the building has to offer, to discuss potential uses and to share views and options as to how the Community Hub can be developed at the Gate. If you feel at any stage, you would like to contribute to this work. please contact the Town Clerk to register your interest.
- We look forward to working in partnership with all who have the interests of St Clears at heart and hope you will look to see if you can contribute to developing a vibrant, welcoming community-led facility offering something for residents and visitors of all ages to St Clears.
Watch this space for future developments!!
St Clears Town Council. (07/03/2023)