Llanrwst apartments at Victoria Hotel site gets go-ahead

Jan 15 2009 by Samantha Castle, North Wales Weekly News

Victoria Hotel site in Llanrwst

A RUNDOWN hotel looks set to finally be converted into 15 apartments after years of standing empty.

The once grand Victoria Hotel on Bridge Street in Llanrwst, overlooking the River Conwy, was expected to be given planning permission by councillors yesterday afternoon.

Planners advised councillors to grant conditional planning permission provided that concerns over parking can be resolved satisfactorily.

Snowdon Developments have amended their plans five times since 2006 in order to comply with planning regulations, with issues such as parking, access and design being cited as reasons for refusal.

The Victoria Hotel, formerly a Grade I listed building, was condemned as unsafe around ten years ago, and was de-listed by Cadw. The construction of the replacement building is now at an advanced stage.

Developers believe they have now tackled the parking issue by reducing the number of spaces from 22 to 21.

The application was refused at the August meeting of Conwy planning committee due to the treatment of the frontage of the building. The current application proposes a much simpler frontage to complement the Grade I listed Pont Fawr bridge.

Llanrwst mayor Gordon Williams is pleased to see the redevelopment hopefully getting the go-ahead. He said: “The development of this site has been ongoing for years now and people in Llanrwst just want to see the building completed. The general impression is that it has stood empty for long enough, certainly since the 1980s.”

Cllr Pat Rowley was present at a site visit on Tuesday and is also glad to see the development progressing: “It has got to be finished and it seems they have sorted out the parking issues. The sooner it is finished, the better for everyone involved.”

Planning officers are now satisfied the current application can be supported.

samantha.castle