Former government offices could be replaced with affordable homes in Welsh seaside community

Richard Evans, Local democracy reporter

Plans to demolish former government offices in Rhos-on-Sea and replace them with dozens of affordable homes are set to be debated by councillors this week – amid fears about traffic and noise.

Housing association Cartrefi Conwy has applied to Conwy County Council’s planning department, seeking permission to redevelop the site on Dinerth Road.

The plans are “minded to grant” and will be discussed by the authority’s planning department on Wednesday.

The former government buildings were originally constructed as wartime emergency hospital wards in 1942.

After the war, the buildings were used by various government departments, including a lease to the council in 2011 before a move to their Coed Pella HQ in 2018.

The buildings are not listed or in a conservation area.

They are surrounded by housing off Dinerth Road, Princess Avenue, Dulas Close, and Stuart Drive.

The housing association wants to build a mix of dwellings, including 44 semi-detached and four detached homes.

The development would provide a mix of one and two-bedroom cottage-style apartments, one and two-bedroom bungalows, two and three-bedroom semi-detached houses, and one five-bedroom detached house.

The development includes plans for footpaths, access roads, and car parking, as well as drainage and open space.

But residents living on Dulas Close wrote to the council to raise concerns about the new properties overlooking existing homes. Others had traffic concerns.

“The main problems with this access road are that there will be a blind bend coming from the west side of the access road; that is on the driver’s right-hand side as they try to exit from the new development,” said one resident.

Another unnamed resident wrote: “There will inevitably be some noise and disturbance during demolition and construction. However, contractors should be required to minimise effects to neighbours.”

They also said contractors should be advised it wasn’t necessary that all machinery was “powered by diesel engines which are noisy and produce emissions” as the site was “surrounded by housing”.

The planning committee will meet on March 11 at Conwy County Council’s Coed Pella HQ.