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Wales Online
2 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
'Overtourism' fears as aparthotel plan approved for police station in World Heritage town
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info 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'. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now (Image: Donald Insall Associates) 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'. (Image: Google) 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. Find planning applications in your area
BBC News
22-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Chiltern Firehouse future unclear after large fire
It could be several years before a luxury central London hotel popular with celebrities re-opens following a large fire, according to an architecture firm that previously worked on the ripped through Chiltern Firehouse in Chiltern Street, Marylebone, on 14 February - caused by burning wood falling from a pizza oven. Architect Harriet Pillman said restoring the Victorian four-storey building was likely to be "complex for lots of reasons."Meanwhile, it is feared a prolonged closure of the five star hotel and restaurant could have a knock-on effect on other local businesses. The fire, which began about 1500 GMT, damaged parts of the ground floor, half of the second floor and destroyed the third floor and Manchester Square Fire Station, the 1889 building was converted into a 26-suite hotel and 200-seat restaurant in 2013 and became known as a celebrity haunt.A representative of the hotel told the BBC on Friday he did not yet know the full extent of the damage and did not know how long it would take to restore Pillman - whose firm Donald Insall Associates helped convert the building into a hotel and also worked on the restoration of Windsor Castle after the 1992 fire - said the initial stages of the work would take at least a year and it could be three years till its ready to reopen. "Projects like this are complex for lots of reasons, the main one being that the initial stages are very different to a normal architectural project."She said the building first needed to be stabilised, the fire damaged material needed to be removed and the structure had to be dried out. "It's only then that architectural proposals can be developed," Ms Pillman retailers, mostly independents, believe the Chiltern Firehouse is important for the local business community. Brendan Murdock, who runs the health and beauty store anatomē told the BBC it it was "really quite shocking" to see the hotel in said the closure of Chiltern Firehouse had already had a "significant" impact on footfall into the street, and it had missed out on the "currency of traffic coming through" for the hotel."There's generally an energy around the hotel bringing people into Chiltern Street."Mr Murdock said he hoped restaurant could open as an outdoor eaterie during the summer months."It's super important for us for it to be open... and without it we'd lose a lot of footfall coming into the street."So it's a big concern. How long will it take to re-establish their business?"Josh Fehnert, editor of Monocle Magazine, which also operates a cafe and two shops on the street, said the fire had been a "gut punch for the neighbourhood."Describing the Chiltern Firehouse as "a big character" on the street, he said it was also an important part of the community of local Fenhert acknowledged that it could now remain closed for a considerable period of time."There is a plan to re-open the building and we're optimistic," he said. "We need a little bit of time to take stock and also make sure the renovations are done properly and this building is respected as it's brought back to life."
