A former school in Wrexham has been shortlisted by Welsh Government as a potential anchor site for a National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales, and Wrexham Council has received £25k to further develop its proposal.
The detailed bid has now been submitted and if successful, it will secure the re-use of a prominent listed building, subject to all of the necessary consents being obtained.
Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, said: “We continue to explore all options for both the building and the site, and we’re pleased that the Groves has been shortlisted.
“We’ve tried tirelessly to find uses for the site and we’ve had many false dawns. We did have aspirations to put a new 21st Century school on there, but that didn’t materialise.
“We also explored the option for a medical training centre, but again it didn’t happen. So we’re hopeful that this time, we’ll have a more positive outcome.
“Wrexham is already a major cultural hub and Wales’ newest city, so it makes sense to look at how we can potentially accommodate a new art gallery for Wales.
“A national gallery would complement our existing cultural hubs such as Ty Pawb and the planned football museum, and would significantly add to the cultural offering in North Wales.
“I would like to thank all of our staff who’ve worked tirelessly on this bid application.”
The site is one of five locations included in the shortlist announced by Welsh Government.
