New tenants are being sought to fill shops and flats in the former Corn Exchange pub in Crickhowell High Street – once it opens this autumn.
A community buyout of the former pub prevented it being turned into a national chain convenience store and the new owners, Corn Exchange Crickhowell Ltd (CECLtd), are now looking to fill it with independent businesses that will compliment the character of Crickhowell.
The company’s tenant liaison officer, Emma Bevan, said: “We stopped The Corn Exchange being turned into a supermarket – now we want to fill the ground floor with shops which will preserve Crickhowell’s reputation as a centre for small, interesting, independent businesses.”
The building is being converted into three shops and three flats above – and CECLtd say they hope to give the new tenants their keys at the end of October.
“We have had a lot of interest in both the shops and the flats already,” Emma Bevan said, “but we want to make sure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to apply so we can get the right balance of tenants to suit the building and Crickhowell’s historic town centre. “
A clause in the company’s tenancy policy prevents a national chain from taking space in the building without the approval of shareholders – most of whom are local and overwhelmingly opposed to the supermarket plans.
Ms Bevan said: “This is our opportunity to see the building used in the way we would wish. But we need to make some decisions now about the type of business which will go into The Corn Exchange. Anyone who is interested needs to get in touch quickly.”
CECltd say interested parties can contact them by emailing info@cornexchangecrickhowell.co.uk.
The inside of The Corn Exchange has been stripped out to reveal the underlying structure and CECLtd say they hope to start the conversion work in early March – with a view to opening the building again by the end of October.
