Historic house approved as holiday let despite ‘severe shortage of homes for local people’

Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter

A historic house once converted by the architect behind Portmeirion has been granted permission to become a holiday let in a north Wales village, despite strong local opposition over the shortage of homes for residents.

Drum House was altered and converted by Clough Williams Ellis for use by Christabel Macnaghten,  who became Lady Aberconway, as a private summer house.

The traditional building at Croesor, Llanfrothen was originally built in c.1864 to serve the Croesor and Rhosydd slate quarries.

The application to convert Drum House into self-catering holiday accommodation attracted strong local opposition, but was unanimously approved by Eryri National Park planners on Wednesday, 14 October.

They agreed a conversion plan for the traditional stone building into a self-catering holiday let (C6 Use) as part of a rural enterprise, together with the insertion of solar panels and new septic tank.

The applicant was listed as Robert McLaren through the agents  Smith & Brooke Architects.

An Eryri report described the house at in the middle of the Garreg Hylldrem farm.

Garreg Hylldrem was described as one of “three principal holdings”on the Brondanwg Estate. The only access to the house was by means of a track over which the applicant had access rights.

Built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the coast to the south and Cnicht above, Drum House was stone built with buttressed walls and a slate roof

It  was on the Authority’s list of Local Buildings as a traditional/historic building retaining “original historic form and external features” and  within the Grade II Registered Historic Park and Garden area of Parc, Croesor, the upper section of the Brondanw Estate.

The applicant’s agent, architect Michael Brooke told the planning meeting:

“This particular client had the misfortune of being given Drum House by his grandmother.  It has no planning use, it is sui generis. (NB outside standard statutory use categories.)

“He can do nothing but camp in it. It has been extended, Clough [Williams Ellis] extended it 70 years ago to preserve the historic interest of the summer house. After 70 years, the roof is leaking, the windows are critical, falling to pieces.

“The applicant came to me and said ‘what do I do? I need to spend probably £200,000 in preserving the building and I can’t because I don’t live here to get change of use. Well, any use at all.

“The only avenue I have under the policies of the Snowdon National Park policy is, as part of a rural enterprise as part of the Brondanw Estate, is to get change of use as a commercial let.

“That would allow him to derive an income and to preserve the building for the future.

“I think on average, commercial let will give about £10,000 worth of employment to the local community per year and £7,500, spent in local shops.

“There is a direct benefit in employment terms by having a change of use, having a use, as a commercial let. He is between a rock and a hard place. He has a building he owns, he can’t use and it has no planning use.

“I suggested, through the planning department, to apply for a change of use, a use, to commercial, but it is not a change of use, it is a use.

“I think this is the best solution to preserve this building, to allow it  have a use, and derive benefit for the community.”

A pre-application enquiry over its conversion to a self-catering holiday unit, had been submitted in January 2025.

Officers had concluded: “For the proposal to comply with adopted policy it will need to be seen as part of a farm diversification scheme to provide ancillary and subservient economic benefit to that existing farm holding, which does not appear to be the case in this instance.”

Objecting, Llanfrothen Community Council, had stated: “We would like our comments on the original application to be noted, namely that there is too much holiday accommodation in the area.”

“We also note that there is strong local opposition to the application” they added, saying, it was “not convinced that the appropriate financial evidence or the criteria for a rural enterprise have been met”.

Six letters of objection were also received, one noted “another holiday let” and that the house “would make a suitable residential home for a local family.”

Others noted permanent residents “would provide continuous, year-round economic contributions,” spending in shops and on services, whilst another noted Croesor and Llanfrothen face “a severe shortage of homes for local people,” as well as the impact on the Welsh community.

Cadw had no objections. It had noted a “change of use to a commercial let will allow essential repairs to be carried out and ensure the building has a use and is kept in good repair into the future”.

Speaking at the meeting Cllr John Pughe Roberts said: “They shouldn’t change the style of the house, it is historical, I think we have to support this application, or we will lose it.”

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