Plans to incorporate another Grade II listed building into the multi-million pound redevelopment of Aberystwyth’s Old College have been approved by council planners.

An application from Aberystwyth University sought permission for work including a new monopitched rooflight to allow the Cambria building on Marine Terrace “to be integrated with the redevelopment of the Old College.”

The Cambria is a Grade II listed building and will now join the project renovation of the Grade I listed Old College and Grade II listed Georgian Villas at 1 and 2 New Promenade which involves the creation of a large atrium space adjacent to The Cambria.

Since the project began, where work is ongoing, the Cambria was “purchased by the university and the intention is to incorporate it into the overall Old College scheme,” planning documents said.

Documents said “the ownership of the Cambria by Aberystwyth University offers an unprecedented opportunity to connect the two historic colleges via a new public atrium.”

“The long-term ambition is for the Cambria to extend the hotel offer at Old College; however, the present proposals focus on creating the connections necessary to enable these works,” documents added.

“The approved proposals for Old College, which were created prior to the Cambria coming into Aberystwyth University's ownership, were to erect a party wall between the lightwell of the Cambria and the new Old College Atrium in order to meet fire and acoustic regulations, create privacy between the two sites and to house service risers between the Old College kitchens and plant rooms.

The proposals for the Cambria will see the existing kitchen infill demolished and the space connected into the new atrium with staircase and high level skylight.

“The proposals will both secure the long-term future of the Cambria by linking it irreversibly to the fortunes of Old College and ensure that the Cambria is retained in the public domain and thus publicly accessible for as long as it is in the custodianship of Aberystwyth University.”

Aberystwyth Town Council said it had no objections to the scheme and “welcomes the retention of historic assets, such as the fireplaces, and looks forward to seeing them re-used in the building.”

Approving the scheme subject to conditions, Ceredigion County Council planning officers said “Overall, whilst there will inevitably be some impact on the historic fabric of the Cambria arising from the proposal, some of the areas proposed for alteration have been changed previously and some of the work does involve the removal of later, and in some cases, inappropriate interventions. “The external works will be seen in the context of the major development at the Old College, and the works overall do provide beneficial aspects such as the provision of level access into The Cambria, and the removal of the wall that was proposed between the atrium and The Cambria, thus revealing the lightwell.

“The proposal would assist in the development of the Old College project in a positive way, and would not unacceptably impact on the character, appearance or historic fabric of the listed building.”