Back to square one as Motte & Bailey misses out on £50k grant

The much-maligned Motte & Bailey is continuing to be a thorn in Welshpool Town Council’s side after it was revealed last night that they had missed out on a £50,000 grant to help with its renovation.

The delipidated site opposite Tesco has become a costly headache for the Welshpool tax payer, with the Town Council stuck with it until a long-term lease with Powis Estates runs out in 10 years’ time.

But even then, they will need to return the site to its owners in the condition it was adopted, meaning tens of thousands of pounds will need to be spent.

The local authority was hopeful that it would catch the eye of the Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme, but the bad news was shared at last night’s Operations & Development Committee meeting.

“Sadly, we heard back that we didn’t get the grant,” said Town Clerk, Richard Williams. “Only 11% of applicants were successful which shows you how over-subscribed it was. So, the next job is to look at alternative funding.”

Mr Williams said he had already spoken with CADW who didn’t have a round of funding currently, and will speak with Powys County Council to see what’s available to bid for.

“It’s disappointing that we didn’t get the grant, but it is not the end of the story,” he said.