PLANS to give a former St John Ambulance building a revamp have been put forward. 

The ambulance charity confirmed in December 2022 it planned to sell its base in St Mary’s Street, Monmouth but intended to maintain a presence in the town. 

However after initially relocating to the Bridges Centre the charity closed its activities in Monmouth as a result of declining membership. 

Its former base is now occupied by interior design firm Mewscraft Ltd and Monnow Interiors, which is part of the same firm.  

Property owners Maddocwell Ltd has applied to Monmouthshire County Council for planning permission to replace its wooden doors with double glazed units to improve and energy performance and make it accessible for all.  

It has also applied for change of use permission to use part of the ground floor, currently used for storage, as a showroom and office space. 

The building dates from the 1920s and a heritage impact statement has been submitted which states: “Extensive consideration has been given to the character of the existing building within the street, and the proposed design reflects this.” 

Information provided with the application describes the tenants as an “excellent” local business that operates across the UK. 

It states: “It is an excellent example of a local business, employing a number of people, using many independent local suppliers and also developing the skills of recently graduated designers. We are passionate about design, and both the proposed interior space and the new façade will reflect this passion.”

There was a concerted campaign to keep the St John centre open as despite the setback when their divisional headquarters was sold off in 2023, they were looking forward to celebrating 100 years of cover in the town.

Two months off their centenary, the four remaining members were told that the small number remaining made it uneconomic to sustain the bill for room hire at Bridges and they were offered the chance to transfer to other branches such as Chepstow or Abergavenny.

Despite a petition to save the iconic building for future use by St John, the building was sold