The future of Conwy's Civic Hall remains unknown.

Conwy County Borough Council (CBCC) cabinet turned down a bid by Wetherspoons to take on the Civic Hall last Tuesday.

This now re-opens conversation for what to do with the building and gives new developers the opportunity to come forward.

Councillor Louise Emery, CCBC cabinet member for economic development, said it posed an exciting period as the table was once again clear of bids and anything was possible.

She said: "Now that this bid has been rejected, we are looking at all possible uses and development of this building and we intend to start this process straight away."

Tony Franks, who was chairman of Conwy Cube and is now a member of the community campaign group Last Bastion, has been campaigning to keep the Civic Hall going for years.

Mr Franks said the latest decision was a step in the right direction and he still held out hope the Civic Hall would return to a community hub and theatre.

He said: "The minimum would be to have use of the auditorium and theatre again space again, so we could use the space for the community.

"If the money was available we would be looking to turn it into a full blown community arts centre - owned by the county council, managed by the Town Council and run by the community."

He said despite the declining help from the CCBC over the years, the introduction of cllr Emery and cllr Mark Baker to the cabinet was a real positive with some good talks being held in recent months.

The possibility of another Wetherspoons bid has not been ruled out by the pub chain.

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We are very disappointed with the council’s decision. We have a proven track record of converting wonderful buildings, many of them listed, across the UK.

“We believe that the pub would be a great asset to the town and bring the building back to life as well as act as a catalyst for other businesses to invest in the town.

“Our aim was to spend £3 million and create 50 new jobs. The site still remains of interest.”

The CCBC cabinet has determined to go back out to the market with an enhanced prospectus confirming that only the listed parts of the building need to be retained; that the basement offers significant heritage value with potential to add to the tourism offer within Conwy; potential for not only for capital receipt but also much needed revenue income.