ONE of the valley’s most iconic buildings is set to go up for auction next week.

Garnant Workmen’s Hall will go under the hammer at an auction in Port Talbot on September 25 and 26.

The building has a guide price of £195,000.

Last year, plans had been approved to transform the old hall into a new care home.

The proposals would have seen the building demolished to make way for a multi-million pound care home scheme.

The Workmen’s Hall, along with an adjacent shop, was set to be replaced by a five-storey care home.

Plans were first submitted to Carmarthenshire County Council two years ago, by Regine and Resolve Architects on behalf of TS Properties, and claimed the new care home would house 78 residents and create 16 full and part-time jobs in the area.

Speaking when approval was given, Councillor Kevin Madge said: “The Workmen’s Hall has been a nightmare for years. The building is unsafe at the moment. There is a hole in the roof, kids have been breaking in, there has been fires there, there have been drugs problems there. It has been a nightmare.

“This will be the biggest development Garnant will have seen. With the number of older people in the Amman Valley rising, this is really good news for the area.”

The hall, built in 1927, served as a venue for concerts, a cinema, leisure centre and club over many decades.

Since closing, it has been the subject of vandalism and hit the headlines in 2009 after police seized almost £1m worth of cannabis plants from the building.

And problems with the building still persist now.

Councillor Kevin Madge said: “I am very disappointed it is up for auction. The plans for this care home were needed for the valley where we have a growing elderly population.

“The hall was the heart of the community back in the day, but it is in a very bad state of repair and I can’t see how it can remain as it is.

“It is dangerous. The council have spent thousands boarding up the building to try and stop kids getting in there, and there is a big problem with the roof.

“I just hope whoever buys it can come up with a resolution.”

Full details of the property can be found at johnpyeproperty.co.uk/property/cwmamman-road-garnant-ammanford.