A community church near Carmarthen, South Wales, has announced plans to operate a new 12-lane bowling alley and entertainment facility on the site of a former cheese packing plant.

Owned by Carmarthenshire County Council (CCC), the 2.7-acre (1.1-hectare) St Ivel site in Johnstown is set to be leased to the Towy Community Church in order to push forward the development proposals. Facilities at the venue will include a 12-lane Xcel Bowl bowling alley in what used to be a large cold store, featuring pool tables, a coffee bar and fast food outlets, as well as a 50-seat café, a 500-seat auditorium and a food bank.

Plans also include a furniture recycling centre and a debt counselling facility as part of a number of community schemes that are set to operate out of the revamped building. A spokesperson for Towy Community Church said: "Grant funding has been applied for, and if successful, refurbishment work could start as early as next summer."