An application for a bespoke ‘upper-class’ wedding building at a 19th century Ceredigion country house has been submitted to county planners.
Meirion Appleton, through agent Morgan & Flynn Architectural Services, is seeking permission to develop an existing wedding venue at Gwynfryn, Llanarth, siting the bespoke building on a former tennis court.
An application allowing the property to obtain a wedding license was granted back in 2017, with weddings held throughout the year, from small weddings of circa 30 guests to larger weddings siting 120 persons, currently on-site in marquees.
It is expected a maximum of 15 weddings will be held at the venue annually.
A supporting statement says: “The design has been carefully considered along with the use of sympathetic materials, together the overall impact of the proposed development will be minimal on the landscape and on neighbouring properties with extensive existing landscaping surrounding the boundaries being retained.”
It adds: “The proposal to provide a permanent wedding venue will provide social and economic benefits to the local area and the county of Ceredigion in the form of employment and the use of local people and supplies to furnish and run the weddings. Any couple wishing to hold their wedding breakfast at Gwynfryn will hire the building and will then organize their own caterers, florist, bar tenders etc.
“The applicants only provide the venue.”
It says the existing marquees are “bought onto the site on lorries a few days before the wedding and are then dismantled a few days after,” adding: “The setting up of a marquee for a wedding brings with it the requirement for outside caterers along with kitchen trailers, a mobile bar with a lorry for the pumps and storage of drinks, requirement to set up tables, chairs, carpets, lighting, electrics, mobile toilets etc; the traffic generated in the setting up and taking down of a marquee every week is significant in itself.”
The statement submitted to the planning department adds: “Having an existing licence Gwynfryn has become an upper-class wedding venue.
“It has not negatively impacted the highway network in any way, it has demonstrated over the years that vehicular movements generated by its use as a wedding venue is acceptable and network provisions are adequate and safe.”
Gwynfryn was built back in the 1890s by Lloyd Daniel Lewis, the Bishop of Bangor.
The application will be considered by planners at Ceredigion County Council.