Like a lizard that sheds its unwanted skin, Ammanford’s Lloyds Bank has finally been stripped of the scaffolding that has hidden its architectural splendour for many years.

“If the scaffolding had stayed for much longer, it would have earned some form of Listed recognition,” said a delighted Ammanford county councillor, Colin Evans.

“Now that we can once again see the building in all its glory, the people arriving into Ammanford couldn’t be given a more majestic welcome.”

South Wales Guardian: Lloyds Bank has remained hidden by scaffolding for several yearsLloyds Bank has remained hidden by scaffolding for several years

Situated at the corner of Wind Street and Quay Street, the bank was first opened in 1910 and continued to trade for the next 90 years.

Following its closure in 2000 the building was subsequently used by the Amman Valley Enterprise for I.T. and photoshop classes which continued until 2008.

The bank has remained empty for the past 14 years, during which time developer Andrew Owen has been carrying out an extensive refurbishment programme.

Work commenced when Carmarthenshire County Council agreed to a grant that totalled almost £150,000 as part of the Ammanford Regeneration Development Fund and the application to convert the former Quay Street bank into flats and office space was submitted to Carmarthenshire County Council in September, 2017.

Initially, when the plans were first considered, the town council had reservations about the proposals because of the lack of parking facilities which the bank offered.

But support grew when the developer outlined that following its development, the building would create valuable employment opportunities which would subsequently increase Ammanford’s vitality, as well as providing additional residential opportunities.

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Meanwhile the funding was made available to meet the financial gap between the construction costs and the completed market value of the property.

According to Carmarthenshire County Council, the project took up almost half of the fund, which had a set budget of £300,000.

“It’s fantastic that all this work has been done to enhance the approach into the town,” concluded Colin Evans.

“By seeing an improvement such as this, we’re hopeful that it’ll inspire further work to be done throughout the town, with the result that Ammanford will continue to go from strength to strength.”