The designer died in 1985, ten days after a fall. She was 60

The Laura Ashley brand of classic clothes became an international name in retail clothing from its manufacturing base in Newtown, Powys.

The town is hoping to celebrate her life and impact on the county with a venue set in an historic building.

But a lack of suitable premises means the project may have to go elsewhere in the county.

The economic regeneration body, Newtown Partnership, has pulled out all the stops in the hunt for the right location to site the planned visitor centre.

It doesn't matter where you go, if you ask anyone if they have heard of Laura Ashley, they know it Jim Lawson

The Laura Ashley Foundation is said to want a 5,000sq ft premises with adequate parking so it can hold workshops for up-and-coming designers, in addition to exhibits and displays telling the Laura Ashley story.

Although a number of sites have been identified, none are thought to meet the criteria set by the foundation, which already sponsors around a dozen community, arts and youth groups in mid Wales.

Newtown town councillor Jim Lawson, a director of Newtown Partnership, proposed the visitor centre idea and said the town was determined to find the location for the venue in memory of the businesswoman who died tragically in 1985, aged 60.

Laura Ashley's designs were an instant hit in 1953

He said Laura Ashley deserved a living memorial to her contribution to mid Wales, alongside those commemorating Robert Owen, the 18th Century Newtown man who founded the co-operative movement and Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones, the inventor of mail order sales.

He said: "Laura Ashley did as much for this area and probably for the country as these did.

She developed a business that was world-wide. She was the reason Newtown grew so big.

"It doesn't matter where you go, if you ask anyone if they have heard of Laura Ashley, they know it."

Manufacturing base

The firm Laura Ashley was set up by Bernard - later Sir Bernard - Ashley and his wife Laura in London in 1953.

Her fashion ideas co-incided with the look created by Audrey Hepburn in the film Roman Holiday and were snapped up by an image-conscious public.

In 1961, the firm relocated to Carno, Montgomeryshire. Laura Ashley was born and brought up in rural Wales.

In 1980, the firm switched its manufacturing base to Newtown, opening a number of factories and becoming a major employer in the area. It still has two business sites in mid Wales, employing around 900 people.

At one point the company had 5,000 stores world wide. but in recent years its performance has flagged in the face of strong competition.

In 1998, the loss-making group was bailed out by Malayan United Industries, which took a 40 per cent stake.