New council plans reveal extent of damage to collapsed Grade II listed hotel

Dale Spridgeon – Local democracy reporter

Images from inside a Grade II listed hotel show the scale of its collapse, as a council looks to press ahead with a “partial deconstruction”.

The Corbett Arms in Tywyn, once frequented by celebrities such as the former Beatle John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono in its heyday, has fallen into serious disrepair.

Part of the structure including a ballroom collapsed earlier this year, leading to the erection of scaffolding along Maengwyn Street and part of Corbett Square.

Urgent action had also seen the temporary closure of Maengwyn Street, Corbett Square and Red Lion Streets to protect the public and motorists.

Listed building

Cyngor Gwynedd has now applied for listed building consent for the “phased partial deconstruction and demolition of the building, and required support works to stabilise the remaining structure”.

Conservation group SAVE Britain’s Heritage (SAVE) had lobbied Cyngor Gwynedd for a stay of execution in a bid to save the building.

The council has vowed to save as much of the building as possible, as part of the phased works.

A council report on the structural condition and residual stability within the hotel has revealed more details about the poor condition of the building, including a number of unseen internal images of the damage.

As well as the collapsed ballroom roof, the rear of the main building is at “high risk of catastrophic collapse”; a window up to the third floor has fallen in and there is damage to other parts of the hotel roof.

A drone is deployed at least once a day where possible to monitor any movement in the roof and the collapse zone on the rear elevation.

The report by Chartered Structural Engineers, John Evans Associates (JEA) Limited, stated: “The building is not currently stable enough to enter to try and introduce temporary propping, given the presence of the cellar, the high risk of further collapse and the poor condition of the structure based on what can be established from limited vantage points.”

Demolition

Wye Valley Demolition, a demolition contractor, have been acting as specialist sub-consultant to JEA.

Following discussion with Cyngor Gwynedd, Cadw and engineer Tom Martin of Mann Williams, the report said they would now look to undertake an initial phase of demolition of the most unstable zone.

There would then be a review of the residual stability of the remaining parts of the building “with a view to retaining those parts, albeit considering access for temporary shoring and propping as necessary,” the report stated.

Following discussions with Cadw, the partial deconstruction and demolition application will be decided by the council.

The public can submit comments to the council during a consultation period that is being held until June 20, 2025.

Full details of the application are available here. It is expected that the application will be decided shortly afterwards by the council’s planning committee.

In the meantime, monitoring work will continue on the condition of the building to ensure the safety of the public.