A developer faced extra expenses exceeding £13,000 when reviving a former pet shop premises in Pontypool.

The scheme also involves transforming an office space situated above the shop into a residential dwelling. The project received backing through a £68,924.21 allocation from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Placemaking Grant Fund, which Torfaen Borough Council endorsed.

Works at 1 Market Street in Pontypool’s central area necessitated additional tasks such as repositioning a street lamp alongside fresh water and electricity infrastructure connections.

Torfaen council has now sanctioned an extra payment of £9,538.20 to Thomas Mounty of Iliana Developments Ltd to address these unexpected charges. The initial funding, dispersed in October the previous year, was designed to meet 70 percent of the anticipated £98,463.15 overall expenditure.

According to documentation prepared by the authority’s head of regeneration, Glenn Cooper, the premises has undergone successful renovation and now provides new commercial and residential accommodation in a key town centre position.

The developer bears accountability for unforeseen expenditure, though they maintain the right to petition for enhanced grant support, and Mr Cooper’s assessment confirmed Torfaen possessed sufficient resources within the programme allocation.

His recommendation therefore advised raising the initial grant to £78,462.41.

The documentation outlined that unexpected charges totalled £13,626, encompassing over £8,000 for a new water supply installation, a £4,500 invoice for electrical connectivity, and £665 for relocating the lamp post.

Torfaen’s quantity surveyor examined these supplementary expenses and deemed them appropriate, while the Transforming Towns Placemaking Programme Board endorsed the application to uplift the grant amount.