Cash-strapped council sold iconic Civic Centre building for £250,000

Richard Evans, local democracy reporter

Conwy County Council has revealed it made £250,000 from the sale of its Civic Centre building in Colwyn Bay.

Part of the Civic site was sold in August 2021 for a housing development whilst the building itself was put on the market at the end of 2021 after an earlier sale fell through.

Council staff vacated the Civic Centre building in 2018 when Conwy modernised its services and moved staff to its flagship state-of-the-art £58m Coed Pella building in the centre of Colwyn Bay.

The Civic Centre has four and a half acres of land on its grounds with around 100 car parking spaces.

The Civic Centre’s new owners revealed last week they plan to spend £2-3m to convert the iconic grade-two listed building into a four-star hotel.

Parc Eirias Hotel Ltd, a company owned by the owners of the award-winning Lawton & Lauriston Court Hotel in Llandudno, plans to convert the former council building into a 120-130 room hotel.

On-site beauticians, treatment rooms, and a bar are planned for the yet-to-be-named hotel.

The new hotel will create between 15-25 new jobs, capitalising on Parc Eirias’ array of pop concerts, sporting events, and proximity to Rhos-on-Sea and Colwyn Bay beach.

Although a planning application is yet to be submitted, it is unlikely to be refused, given the council’s involvement with the sale.

The local authority faces an £18.5m budget shortfall next year, sparking fears of widespread service cuts and council tax rises.