Jewish cultural centre plan for synagogue site

PLANS to turn the oldest remaining synagogue building in Wales into a Welsh Jewish cultural centre have been officially submitted.

- ANTHONY LEWIS

A planning application and a listed building consent request from the Foundation for Jewish Heritage have been submitted to Merthyr Tydfil council for the repair and restoration of the Grade II-listed synagogue in Church Street and the nearby Grade II-listed Primrose Hill.

The aim is to create a new Welsh Jewish cultural centre.

A heritage impact assessment states that the Merthyr Tydfil synagogue, built between 1876 and 1877, is currently unoccupied and in a partially derelict state, deteriorating further each year. Primrose Hill is partly used as a residential flat, with the remainder vacant and suffering from damaged fabric, damp ingress, and mould.

The statement says the proposed centre would rescue both nationally listed buildings and give them new life, directly connected to their original purpose.