Merlin in Carmarthen

Carmarthenshire councillors have agreed to allow a Carmarthen shopping complex to be renamed after Merlin - to boost trade at a difficult time.

Zurich Insurance Ltd had applied for planning permission for new signs rebranding the Greyfriars Shopping Centre as Merlin’s Walk/Maes Myrddin and to put two metal arches and a wood-carved statue of Merlin within the shopping centre.

The centre was originally named Greyfriars after the Friary which formerly stood on the site of the Wilkinson store during the Mediaeval period up until its dissolution from 1538.

County Council officers had recommended rejecting the scheme as being unsuitable for the town’s Conservation Area and as incongruous with the Mediaeval history of the site, with no historical link between Merlin and the Greyfriars site.

But members of the planning committee yesterday were keen to help traders at Greyfriars by enabling the centre to be rebranded to raise its profile.

Local member Cllr Arwel Lloyd, who addressed the planning committee, said: “This is an attempt to improve the image of the centre. Carmarthen is called Merlin’s town but there is nothing visible to connect it with Merlin.
“We as the people of the town are grateful to the developers for coming up with this.”

Planning committee member Cllr Steve Dunn said: “As a local member I would like us to approve the application.”
He said after the meeting that it was important to support all areas of Carmarthen town centre and that the planned changes for the Greyfriars shopping centre would help to revamp that area.

Following the meeting head of planning Eifion Bowen said: “The issue was one of balancing historical fact or myth.
“The planning committee felt that using the mythology was justified in this instance for the rebranding of the centre to assist in difficult economic times.”