Distillery, brewery, shops and flats part of new development plan for popular Gwynedd village

PROPOSALS to build a commercial development containing a brewery, shops and office space in a popular Gwynedd village have been lodged.

An application has been submitted to Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning department for the construction of a two-storey commercial development in the centre of Aberdaron.

Documents submitted on behalf of applicant Geraint Jones describe the building containing two shops, a brewery/distillery and a launderette, with two flats and an office on the first floor.

The development is proposed on the former Y Sied Ddu (black shed) site near the historic Melin Daron mill.

Over the years the historic mill area in the popular village has been the focus of several redevelopment proposals.

A more detailed document describes how the bottom floor of the proposed development could potentially include a brewery/distillery, a launderette, a seafood shop, a hairdresser and caravan and tent shop.

It also says the top floor the development could see in fact three one-bedroom flats, and the creation of a patio, outside of apartment three, accessed via an external staircase.

The new building would be lower than the existing mill building, and would use local stone to “improve the relationship between the proposed building and mill” and glass to “soften” its appearance.

The proposed 177 square metre site is in the area where an old disused shed, now demolished, was once used as a commercial store.

The plans describe the construction of a long building in place of the former shed.

To the south of the site are a number of smaller wooden sheds, and in the north and west is a car park, which serves the bakery Becws Islyn, and the nearby Spar shop.

The plan says the area “is heavily dependent on tourism, mostly farms which have diversified”.

It claims by expanding into this local market, the development could create up to 10 local jobs.

It also describes how “development sites in the area are rare,” and also points to “a strong connection” being made between the distillery and the mill.

“The mill will try to use grain from the nearby island of Bardsey to brew beer or distil other drinks,” for the distillery/brewery, it claims.