'Overtourism' fears as aparthotel plan approved for police station in World Heritage town

North Wales Live

a day ago

A Grade II-listed building in the heart of a World Heritage Site is to be partly demolished and converted into an aparthotel. The historic property housed a police station for 162 years and is a key presence in Conwy town centre.
The Old Police Station, vacant since 2022, sits on a prominent site in Lancaster Square, one of the town's most popular destinations. While it has an imposing frontage, its later rear extension is more austere, typifying the idea of a Victorian station with windowless prison cells.
Planning consent for the 19-room aparthotel, and a ground floor café or retail space, has been approved by Conwy Council. The frontage is to be preserved but the rear has a concrete castellated roof that's considered to lack the same 'grandeur and status', and so will be knocked down.
This will be replaced by a '2.5-storey extension' that will have a 'sunken crown' roof so that it doesn't dominate surrounding buildings. The design also allows an obscured air source heat pump and solar panels to be installed on the roof.
Work must begin within five years and should not take place on Sundays, Bank Holidays and Saturday afternoons when the square is often heaving with locals and tourists.
Planning officials deliberated over the building's details as it sits in an 'essential setting' of the walled town's World Heritage designation. Only five public objections were received - it was claimed that the lack of complaints from neighbouring York Place was because the properties there were 'all holiday homes and the owners do not currently live in the area'.
Concerns centred on the 'flat roof and a possible loss of light and privacy, as the new extension will be taller than the one it's replacing. With a cafe included in the plans, there were also fears it would add to an over-abundance of 'cafes, restaurants and pubs in Conwy town'.
Other objections related to a perceived over-provision of holiday homes in the area and the lack of parking. One resident said: 'Aparthotels are the tourism industry's answer to Airbnbs.
'Over tourism is starting to be a problem in popular destinations around the UK. It can push out local people and be detrimental to the community, with there not being a continuity of permanent residents who will take a pride and look after a town.
'If too much accommodation is given over to visitors, where are the locals - who provide the services for the tourists - to be housed? Locals could become frustrated by increasing numbers of visitors and dread the arrival of summer.
'I fear there could be an over density of 'Aparthotel' accommodation within the historic town walls.'
The developers argued that, without a replacement extension, the venture wouldn't be viable. Were it to be refurbished instead, it would only have 10 rooms generating a gross annual profit of just under £90,000, based on nightly letting prices of £115 for 244 nights per year.
With a projected overall cost of £1.4m, this approach would give only a 6% return, which would 'not even cover borrowing costs'. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
In contrast, a replacement building costing £1.74m with 19 rooms and lower running costs would yield an annual gross profit of £190,000. With an annual 11% return, this would make the scheme 'viable and deliverable'.
Nearby accommodation providers questioned whether the aparthotel would ever achieve the projected occupancy figures. One business owner said: 'Having operated an accommodation-based business in Conwy town for over 20 years, we know the occupancy figures.
'Over the last two years we have only managed an average of 51.5% occupancy for letting our 11 rooms. The planned increase of another 19 additional rooms to the town is very unlikely to achieve this level of occupancy.'
Scheme viability is not a reason for justifying the demolition of any listed building, said Conwy's planners. Although the existing extension isn't without historic value, they concluded the proposal's merits 'outweighed' its disadvantages, especially given the 'socio-economic benefits for the community' and the risk it would remain unoccupied.
Co-developer Alun Jones said: 'It was important to us that we brought the iconic old police station building back into use. We looked at several possibilities for this site before settling on the consented design.
'Ultimately this project is about securing the future of the building through a viable scheme that allows this empty building to be brought back to life, creating a buzz around Lancaster Square while respecting the historically significant front of the building, where no external alterations will be made.'
The main, front building was constructed in 1859 to the designs of prominent local architect John Lloyd, who also designed the police station in Caernarfon. The rear extension was added in the 19th century with further alterations around 1940.
It was occupied by the Conwy neighbourhood policing team until May 2022. Due to its size, age and the work required, the team was moved to a new base in nearby Rose Hill Street.