Go-ahead for next stage in life of Bangor’s Friars Building
A £10m contribution from the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation is being put to work with the redevelopment of Coleg Menai’s former home in the town, cleared unanimously at committee this week.
The project involves the demolition and replacement of rear buildings at the listed site, built in the 1890s, and most recently occupied by a school and then Coleg Menai. The college moved out to Parc Menai last year.
The Friars Building will now house the University of Bangor’s business school, following the verdict by Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee.
The committee voted unanimously to approve both the general application and the accompanying listed building application, with Cllr Edgar Wyn Owen describing the project as “very important for Bangor”.
DAY Architectural is the scheme designer, working with a team including Stantec, Ascerta, Acer Ecology, EDGE, Claremont, Pick Everard, BWB Consulting, and Turley, which advised on heritage.
The proposal involves demolishing the 1890s-built Friars’ two-storey rear section, which was added in the 1930s in a cross-shape, replacing it with a 15,666 sq ft two-storey building.
This extension would be a mix of light grey/red brick and red aluminium cladding. The front elevation, which is the southern elevation facing Ffriddoedd Road, will remain as is.
On the western side of the main building, it is proposed to remove the existing car port and also remove M&E equipment from the roof, installing new vents. The new extension would connect to the main building and would be of a modern design with two pitched roofs mirroring the ridge of the main building.
Officer recommendation was to approve: “The proposal has been fully justified and also respects the building by keeping the modern extension to the rear and keeping the interior alteration works to a minimum, but also retaining and reusing features within the building.”
In February 2025, the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation donated £10m to the university. The North Wales-born founder of Kwiksave died in 2016, with a reported £1bn being left, half to be given to causes identified by the Catholic church, and half by the foundation.
Documents relating to the proposals can be seen on Gwynedd’s planning portal, reference C25/0705/11/LL.
