Gallery scoops lottery award

Natural light would be harnessed in one of the new gallery spaces

A lottery award of £2.6m is going to the Oriel Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno.

The money, announced at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Ruthin on Friday, will help to fund plans to nearly double its exhibition space.

Culture Minister Alun Pugh said the gallery was one of a growing number of exciting cultural venues emerging in Wales.

Work is set to begin early 2007 but a further £1m has to be raised for the project to go ahead.

The expansion plans will give the gallery three new exhibition spaces, an area for students and pupils to use as well as a meeting room, a cafe and more space for a craft shop.

There will be more areas for storage and handling enabling the gallery to borrow works from major collections.

The gold tower could become a local landmark

Plans also include a new exhibition space lit by natural light and the sheathing of the building's tower in gold-coloured shingles to make it a "Llandudno landmark."

The outside of the building, currently in terracotta, will be refurbished.

Gallery director Martin Barlow said: "This is great news for Oriel Mostyn and its many followers.

"We have a fantastic opportunity to develop our audience and reputation further and to offer the very best in Welsh and international art to the people of Wales, in particular the large numbers of people from north Wales who visit our exhibitions."

He added: "We still have a large fundraising challenge but this award gives us confidence that we will be successful."

Administrator Mary Heathcote said she hoped people in Llandudno will appreciate the gold-coloured tower.

"There has been no negative feedback at all," she said.

She said: "We have managed to bring major exhibitions to Wales already - the Turner in Wales one took place, although admittedly that was 20 years ago."

Peter Tyndall, chief executive of the Arts Council of Wales, said Oriel Mostyn was one of Wales' leading regional contemporary arts galleries.

The gallery's new exhibition programme will be planned in the year of closure.

If the project goes ahead, the gallery will reopen in spring 2008.