Plans have been submitted to turn an empty former Holland and Barrett shop on Bridgend's high street into a new café and bar. The proposed site is on Adare Street, close to the town's Rhiw shopping centre.
What the plans include
The plans involve creating a café and bar at ground floor level of the three-storey property, with function rooms on the first floor and a two-bedroom self-contained flat on the second floor. The applicant stated that, if approved, the ground floor café and bar would be accessed off Adare Street, with the first floor having two function rooms, a kitchen and toilet, operating in connection with the ground floor facility.
Proposed opening hours for the new café are 9am to 11pm from Sundays to Thursdays, and 9am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Planned external works could also see the replacement of the existing shop-front along with new and altered window and door openings.
Upper flat and vacant property background
When it came to the upper flat, the report said it would contain two bedrooms, as well as featuring a shower room and open plan lounge and kitchen with its own external access.
The report said: "The unit has stood vacant for approximately five years, and the Bridgend Town Centre Regeneration Masterplan expressly recommends that vacant Adare Street properties accommodate food and drink uses."
It added: "The realistic planning choice is therefore between continued vacancy and an active Class A3 frontage, and the reactivation of the unit delivers the outcome the retail policies of the plan exist to secure."
Application submitted
The planning application was submitted by Meadow Property Holdings Ltd in September 2026. It will now be considered for approval by Bridgend County Borough Council's planning department.
It comes just months after separate plans were submitted for a former town centre bank to become a new bar and nightclub.
