“We’re all in this together!” That was the rallying cry issued to Corn Exchange shareholders as project leaders outlined plans to turn the former Crickhowell pub into shops and flats for local people and small businesses.

And the shareholders showed their support by unanimously electing the leadership team for the project and overwhelmingly backing the conversion plans.

Project Director, Andrew Gray, told the shareholders meeting that there would be “challenges ahead” as the team set about turning the listed building into three small shops for independent businesses to use and three small flats for local people. He told the meeting in Clarence Hall that the full cost of the conversion would not be known until builders went in – but that “everything possible would be done to keep the costs to a minimum”. This would include using local trades people and professionals – some of whom had already offered to work for reduced rates - as well as “volunteer days” where local people could help clear the building or get involved in decorating it once the building work was done.

Over 230 mostly local people invested money last Christmas to offer to buy The Corn Exchange to prevent it being turned into a supermarket and Corn Exchange Crickhowell (Ltd (CEC Ltd) was formed. The company won’t complete the purchase of the building until all stages of planning permission are achieved. Shareholders were told that the building should be open by autumn 2017.

(See more in this week’s Chronicle)