Key Points
- Ceredigion County Council will consider a Listed Building Consent Application for works to the Grade II listed Pier Building, New Quay on 11 November.
- The Pier Building on South John Street was formerly a harbour warehouse but now houses the New Quay Yacht Club.
- It was damaged by fire and smoke damage in January.
- The proposal is to carry out like-for-like repairs, improve fire protection, and replace the modern floor with timber floorboards more appropriate to the period.
- The proposal would include 60-minute fire compartmentation between floors.
- The condition survey confirms that the building remains structurally sound as a whole and retains much of its historic form and appearance.
- A recommendation for approval has been made by the Planning Officers.
- No alterations to the external appearance are proposed.
- This is an early 19th-century building erected during the development of New Quay’s harbour facilities.
- The southern façade of the building has late 19th and early 20th-century enamel harbour tariff boards which have been recognised by Cadw/Heneb as rare and important survivals.
Wales (Wales Times) November 9, 2026 — Plans to restore New Quay’s fire-damaged Pier Building are being recommended for approval by Ceredigion County Council, according to reporting by Bruce Sinclair of Nation.Cymru and the Tivyside Advertiser.
The council’s development management committee is scheduled to consider an application for listed building consent for restoration work at the Pier Building, on South John Street, at its meeting on 11 November.
As reported by WalesOnline, the Grade II-listed former harbour warehouse, which is now occupied by New Quay Yacht Club, was damaged by fire and smoke in January. The proposed scheme follows a like-for-like repair approach and includes enhanced fire-protection measures intended to achieve 60-minute fire compartmentation between floors.
The application also proposes remedial works to restore the character of the building by replacing modern flooring with a more historically appropriate material. Nation.Cymru reported that the replacement flooring would be timber floorboards considered more appropriate to the building’s historic character.
Why is the Pier Building significant?
The Pier Building was built in the early 19th century in association with the expansion of New Quay’s harbour and maritime trade. A supporting statement accompanying the application describes it as “an important surviving component of the town’s historic waterfront infrastructure”.
The statement says the building has undergone a series of incremental alterations and adaptations during the 20th and 21st centuries to accommodate its continued recreational and community use. The submitted scheme aims to retain and conserve historic fabric wherever reasonably practicable, ensuring that any necessary interventions are proportionate, compatible and informed by an understanding of the building’s significance.
According to the supporting statement, the building’s architectural interest comes not from ornamentation or refinement, but from its surviving industrial form, materials, functional expression and strong visual relationship with the pier and harbour setting.
Particularly notable are painted harbour tariff boards fixed to the southern wall. These late 19th to early 20th-century enamel signs detail harbour dues and charges associated with goods landed at New Quay, and are identified by both Cadw and Heneb as rare and significant survivals of their type.
What did the inspection find?
After an inspection, the report found that the building “was found to remain structurally intact overall and continues to retain its principal historic form and character despite the recent fire incident”.
The report also stated that certain modern finishes and later non-historic fabric affected by fire or smoke damage had already been removed before the preparation of the report. WalesOnline reported that the inspection concluded the building remained structurally sound overall and continued to preserve its primary historic form and character despite the recent fire.
The proposed works are intended to ensure an appropriate balance between reinstating essential fire- and moisture-resistant elements and safeguarding the building’s historic character. The report acknowledged that reintroducing fire- and moisture-resistant elements would result in a minor reduction in evidential value, but concluded that this was outweighed by the need to safeguard the building for ongoing use.
What would the restoration involve?
An officer’s report recommending approval says the proposals would retain historic fabric wherever practicable, provide fire protection and improve the affected interiors with more sympathetic timber floorboards.
The report says the work would not change the building’s external appearance, would preserve its architectural and historic interest and would protect the character of the New Quay Conservation Area. The proposed fire-protection measures would provide 60-minute fire compartmentation between floors, helping to limit the spread of a fire.
As reported by Nation.Cymru, the restoration would retain historic materials wherever reasonably practicable, with any necessary changes designed to respect the building’s significance. The plans would repair the former harbour warehouse on a like-for-like basis, introduce improved fire protection between floors and replace modern flooring with timber floorboards considered more appropriate to its historic character.
When will the council decide?
Ceredigion County Council’s development management committee is due to consider the listed building consent application at its meeting on 11 November.
The application concerns restoration work at the Pier Building, South John Street, following the fire earlier in the year. Planning officers have recommended approval of the proposals.
As reported by the Tivyside Advertiser, the building is used by New Quay Yacht Club, which hosted its 25th annual Keel Boat Regatta in Cardigan Bay in 2025, with 13 yachts taking part.
Background of the development
The Pier Building is a Grade II-listed former harbour warehouse in New Quay, Ceredigion. It was constructed in the early 19th century as the harbour and maritime trade expanded, and it now forms part of the town’s historic waterfront infrastructure.
The building has been altered and adapted over the 20th and 21st centuries to support recreational and community use, and it is currently occupied by New Quay Yacht Club. It suffered fire and smoke damage in January, prompting the submission of a restoration scheme.
The proposed restoration seeks to balance conservation of the building’s historic fabric with the need to improve fire safety and maintain its ongoing use. The application includes like-for-like repairs, improved fire compartmentation and the replacement of modern flooring with more historically appropriate timber floorboards.
Prediction: how this development can affect New Quay
If the listed building consent is approved, the restoration could help secure the continued use of the Pier Building by New Quay Yacht Club and support the building’s role in the town’s waterfront. The proposed fire-protection measures could reduce the risk of fire spreading between floors, while the like-for-like repair approach is intended to preserve the building’s historic character.
For local residents, visitors and heritage organisations, the outcome of the council’s decision could determine how quickly the fire-damaged interior is repaired and how the building’s historic features, including the enamel harbour tariff boards, are retained. The proposals state that the exterior would remain unchanged, which would preserve the building’s contribution to the New Quay Conservation Area.
For the yacht club and wider community, approval of the plans could allow restoration work to proceed while maintaining the building’s continued recreational and community functions. The council’s development management committee is due to consider the application on 11 November.
