Expansion costs met

Oct 16 2008 by Judith Phillips, North Wales Weekly News

WITH grants totalling over £600,000 pouring into Llandudno’s Oriel Mostyn over the past two weeks the cost of a £4.3m expansion scheme is close to being met.

Gallery director Martin Barlow had feared the gallery might have to take out a loan to complete the scheme, but a £360,000 handout from the Heritage Lottery Fund announced at the end of September was followed on Tuesday by news that the Assembly is to give £300,000 to the project.

“This is great news,” he said. “The Assembly money will go towards the capital cost of the work and it is a huge relief as it takes some of the pressure off us. We have a loan facility set up but didn’t want to have to draw on it unless we absolutely had to.”

The expansion scheme at the gallery involves taking over part of the next door post office building and converting it into additional gallery space. There will also be an education resource centre and a cafe.