News

£16m care home granted approval despite lead and arsenic discovery

11 Aug 2026 2 minute read

Plans to replace the derelict former Plas Ifan Hotel in Northop Hall with an 80-bed care home have been given the go ahead. Image: Flintshire County Council

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to replace a historic hotel with a huge £16 million care home development have been approved, despite the discovery of harmful levels of lead and arsenic.

Permission was granted after developers revealed how they intended to deal with the substances found in some soil samples on the site.

Plas Ifan, in Northop Hall, Flintshire, was built in 1839 and has been vacant for more than a decade.

The building was originally the family home of the Astbury family who made their fortune in Flintshire mining. It had more recently been used as a hotel and restaurant.

The building was not listed due to the commercial adaptations made over its lifetime.

After plans to demolish the building were approved back in March 2026, Flintshire County Council’s Planning Department has now granted permission for owner Bod Hotels to build the proposed care home on the site.

The new care home on the Plas Ifan site in Northop Hall has been approved after plans were submitted to mitigate the effect of lead and arsenic discovered on the site. Image: Flintshire County Council

A remediation report did identify potentially harmful levels of heavy metals – specifically lead – and arsenic in soil samples taken from the north of the site where the main home is intended to be built.

Environmental consultants Smith Grant LLP attributed the discovery to historic mining activity.

The recommendation that a physical gas membrane and under-floor ventilation be installed to prevent harm to residents was considered acceptable by Flintshire Council.

The new care home will have 80 en-suite rooms and a large garden area with a view to allowing Flintshire residents who need additional care in later life to remain close to family and friends.

The demolition plan, which laid the groundwork for the construction of the home, had previously been unanimously supported by Flintshire County Council’s Planning Committee.

The plans were approved despite concerns from local members Cllr Marion Bateman and Cllr Linda Thew about a lack of safe walking routes to the village, poor public transport and a greater volume of traffic around the village.

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