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Cars will be banned from Bridge Street in the Llanelli conservation area and will link 11 listed buildings.
It is was part of a £13m package for 15 projects announced by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Llanelly House, built in 1714, was the Welsh finalist in the original BBC2 series Restoration, which saw the public vote for run-down buildings they thought should be saved.

It was originally hoped that Wednesday's announcement by social justice minister Edwina Hart would include £500,000 for work for the exterior of the building.

But project director William Wilkins said a separate bid for money for the house itself would be made next year.
"We can now proceed with real confidence that we can create something of great value for the people of Llanelli," he added.
"This decision is critical to our ability to get the grants we need to restore the house."
Work is expected to start next summer.
The pedestrianisation scheme aimed to create a better setting for the listed buildings, including the parish church, enhance the environment for visitors and improve the air quality. The grant was awarded as part of the assembly government's physical regeneration fund to tackle derelict or decaying buildings and improve town centres and industrial areas.

Listed Building Consent has been given by Carmarthenshire County Council for the restoration of the two main façades, onto Bridge Street and Vaughan Street, to their appearance in 1714. Approval has been given based on the meticulous research of archaeologist Dr. Warwick Rodwell and conservation architect Craig Hamilton.

Town Council Leader, Cllr. Carl Lucas said today:
"This is a major step forward. It is a long, complex process, trying to restore a house of this outstanding quality, but with this approval the prospect of delivering a great asset for the people of Llanelli gets significantly closer. Over the summer we can now apply for funding to start on the external restoration work itself."

Some of the important features which will be restored in Stage 1 include the front door and all the windows on the ground floor. On the Vaughan Street frontage the chimney stack will also be restored on the gable end. In a later stage this will allow the restoration of the great parlour in the place of the former corner shops. The pilasters, now on the shop front, were originally part of the chimney piece of the room inside.

Project Director William Wilkins said:
"This really is a major milestone. As people can see from the drawings which have been approved, research has revealed what a splendid and important house this is. Its external design is unusual and exciting and confirms its significance in architectural history, particularly in Wales."

Work is continuing on plans for Stage 2, the restoration of the interior, and the County Council continue planning the pedestrianisation of Bridge Street and the redesigning of Gelli Onn.

For further information contact: Lynn Davies, Town Clerk, Llanelli Town Council on 01554 774352; e-mail: lynnd@llanellitowncouncil.gov.uk; or William Wilkins, Project Director on 01558 823242.

Lynn Davies of Llanelli Town Council writes:

The investigative contract has been completed,and the house is now effectively gutted. So unfortunately health and safety considerations still dictate that visitors can not gain access to view the interior. As soon as visits are possible we will let people know.

On the fundraising side, the Town Council has opened a special account specifically for the project restoration costs. The details are:-

Bank: HSBC Bank plc, Vaughan Street, Llanelli SA15 3TY
Bank sort code: 40-30-10
Account name: Llanelli House Restoration Appeal
Account number: 11544446
All donations will be gratefully received.

No charity has been formed to take the project forward, but the Town Council is currently in negotiation with a local building preservation trust which, as a charity, is able to access a much wider range of potential funders than the Council. If terms can be agreed, the intention is to transfer the house to the trust [hopefully on a lease/lease back arrangement] so that it can undertake the restoration work instead of the Council, with the restored building being returned to the Council at some time thereafter.

The project received a big boost back in March with the visit to the house of Laurence Llewelyn Bowen, who had been our celebrity advocate inthe 'Restoration' series. It was the fulfilment of a promise he had made during the series, and his passion for and commitment to the project shone through in abundance. Before leaving he promised that he would be returning to check on progress, which was a wonderful gesture indeed.

A further boost was received when Carmarthenshire County Council agreed to give the project its full support. This will manifest itself in anumber of practical ways, not least in the preparation of a regeneration grant application - currently underway - to secure funding to carry out highway improvements adjacent to the house and to meet the cost of restoring the whole of the exterior of the building.

If these two important developments prove successful, they will be areal shot in the arm and tangible proof that the project is very much alive.

Update February 2004

Lynn Davies from Llanelli Town Council writes:

In response to many requests that have been received to date, the Town Council, as owner of the building and coordinator of the restoration project, is in the process of setting up a suitable fund for donations towards restoration costs. Details will hopefully be available soon for any potential donors. Please give generously, as every donation will be very gratefully received.

Meanwhile work has been proceeding on an investigative contract inside the house. This has involved stripping off and removing all the boarding, partitioning, false ceilings etc., that have been added over many years, in order to get back to the original fabric.

This has provided Dr. Warwick Rodwell, the project archaeologist, with the evidence required to enable him to piece together the original 18th-century internal layout of the house, and it will be an important element of the conservation plan which will need to be submitted with any grant application.

In the course of this work the two rather mysterious over-mantel paintings, which are believed to date back to the completion of this Georgian house in 1714, and which had miraculously survived intact, were removed for security purposes. It is hoped that the National Museum of Wales will be able to undertake the necessary restoration work and to identify the artist and details of the scenes depicted in the paintings themselves.

Regrettably, for health and safety reasons, the Council has been unable to accede to requests received from members of the public for permission to visit the house. However, the position will be reviewed and, as soon as it is possible to do so, supervised visits will be allowed.

Llanelly House's celebrity advocate, Laurence Llewelyn Bowen, remains passionately committed to the project. His support during the first series was greatly appreciated, as indeed is his continuing interest in how the project progresses. We hope that he will find time in his very busy schedule to visit the house in the not too distant future.

For further details on Llanelly House please contact:

Lynn Davies
Clerk to Llanelli Town Council
The Old Vicarage
Town Hall Square
Llanelli
Carmarthenshire
SA15 3DD.

Tel: 01554 774352
Fax: 01554 770376
E-mail: lynnd@llanellitowncouncil.gov.uk

Lynn Davies
Clerk to Llanelli Town Council