A proposal to create a restaurant and cafe with private/fine dining option in the first floor mezzanine area at a premises in Narberth town centre that previously housed the HSBC bank, has been put forward to Pembrokeshire County Council.

Matt Powell who established the restaurant ‘Annwn’ at The Old Potting Shed in Lawrenny, has put forward the proposal after the eatery closed towards the end of 2022, due to the lease running out.

The application for the property at 1 Market Square (which has remained empty since the bank departed in 2018) is being made on behalf of Mr Powell by Hayston Developments & Planning of Johnston.

The application states that the only significant changes to the property which reflect the change of use from a former bank to a restaurant/cafe is the installation of an air extraction cowl which is screened from everyone due to the nature of it being located on a flat roof rear element to the building.

After only being open a year - Annwn, was recently listed 14th in The Good Food Guide’s top 20 for 2022, with chef Matt stating that he sets out to pay homage to surroundings and landscapes in Wales with his dishes.

“My greatest influence has been to live on the Welsh coast path and to be able to study my local environments a huge amount,” said Matt, who also posted the following on the restaurant’s Facebook page with regards to the move:

“Just to advise you that we have reached the difficult decision of closing the business at Lawrenny over the quieter winter months and until such time as we can secure an alternative location from which to operate Annwn.

“We had a fantastic first year, achieving exactly what we wanted against our business plan and receiving amazing feedback and incredible reviews, not least a top 20 award for The UK’s most exciting new restaurants in the Good Food Guide.

“We are extremely grateful to Little Retreats for having us for our first year of business, and we will forever hold fond memories of our time there.

“We do have our eyes on a few properties at the moment and are on the lookout for a suitable venue for Annwn to relocate to that suits our business needs and expansion plans.

“If there are any chefs in the industry who would like to collaborate with me then please feel free to get in touch.

“For those that have booked gift vouchers direct recently we can refund your purchase or if you are happy to hold onto your experience gift then you can hold onto them until we reopen at new premises.

“Many thanks and thanks everyone for the support.”