Council seeking new tenant for Coffi Vista site after controversial closure

Caerphilly Council is looking for a new tenant for Coffi Vista, weeks after finalising the controversial decision to close the coffee shop down.

An advert with Cardiff-based property firm EJ Hales shows the council is seeking £16,500 in annual rent for the property, which is in a prominent location overlooking Caerphilly Castle.

The budget-saving proposal to shut Coffi Vista was met with strong opposition from people who said the site was more than a coffee shop and provided a valuable community asset for tackling loneliness and isolation.

But the council said it was spending £100,000 annually to effectively subsidise the current operations and could not justify that spending given wider budget pressures.

The campaign to save Coffi Vista earlier this year included a large demonstration outside the premises, and a petition signed by thousands of people.

The new advert for the Coffi Vista premises includes the building’s public toilets in its floorspace, and quotes the annual rent as £16,500.

Any new tenant would also expect to pay around £10,500 in business rates in the next financial year, after Welsh Government discounts have been applied.

The advert also states Caerphilly Council is seeking expressions of interest in the property, by way of an informal tender process, by midday on Wednesday May 1.