Iconic hotel refurbishment to include residential apartments

Richard Evans, local democracy reporter

Plans for the refurbishment of an iconic hotel which closed five years ago, now include residential apartments.

Mr M. Jones of Mavi Royal Ltd has submitted a planning application to covert and extend part of The Royal Hotel on Bridge Street, Llangollen, to form twelve residential apartments next to the town’s famous bridge.

The hotel is thought to date from the mid-18th century and was first listed in a commercial directory of 1752, when it was called the King’s Head.

It was enlarged during the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras, as more and more people visited the town and in 1832 Princess Victoria, the future queen, stayed at the King’s Head with her mother, the Duchess of Kent.

After her stay the hotel’s then owner changed the name to the King’s Head and Royal Hotel.

The hotel closed in December 2019 and has remained shut since then.

Historic character

Developers were granted consent in 2022 to refurbish and modernise the building, being mindful of its historic character, in order to create a destination hotel with an enhanced offer – including a new purpose-built spa.

Consultants undertook a heritage impact assessment in 2022 as part of the planning application.

This assessment measured the effect on the Llangollen Conservation Area, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site, as well as the impact on the setting of nearby scheduled monuments and listed buildings.

Market changes

But Mr Jones now says the market has changed and wants to alter consent so he can replace plans for the new-build spa area with a mix of residential and holiday accommodation.

The new plans include a new stairwell and lift to service the new block.

According to the planning application, the new residential area will have a similar design to the already consented spa.

But this new building ‘will not feature the stone elements and will have a smaller footprint, taking it away from the riverside slightly’.

Neighbours have been consulted.

The plans will either be approved or refused by the delegated authority of planning officers or debated at a future planning committee meeting.