Plans for a new hotel and restaurant on the site of former council offices revealed

Anthony Lewis, local democracy reporter

Plans for a new hotel, restaurant and spa on the site of former council offices have been revealed.

An application has been submitted for the conversion and extension of the former offices in Aberdare to a hotel and restaurant, a spar and leisure complex, car parking, landscaping, drainage, and associated
works.

Back in September 2024, the council’s cabinet agreed to appoint a partner in Final Frontier Space Holdings to design, develop and construct the project.

Council-based staff who were previously located at Rock Grounds were permanently moved away from the site in the summer of 2024 in preparation for the redevelopment.

Community use

The facilities complementing the new hotel will be available for the community’s use while the wider development will maintain the Rock Grounds building and its features, keep public car parking to serve the town centre and retain the Keir Hardie bust.

The proposed development will see the existing two-storey building turned into a hotel, providing a range of accommodation types, the planning statement said.

The ground floor will have eight hotel rooms made up of a mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments, while the first floor will have 11 hotel rooms, including studio, one-bedroom and a single two-bedroom apartment.

Each unit will have a kitchen, living area and bathroom.

The ground floor will include an entrance lobby, gymnasium, an office room and a back-of-house area towards the rear of the building.

To accommodate the proposed apartments and facilities, the two-storey building will be extended by 13 metres.

Restaurant

The second, single storey building on the site would be converted into a restaurant with the internal layout set to be reconfigured to accommodate the new use which will include customer toilets and a back of house kitchen.

An outdoor seating area is proposed and this would be covered by a pergola while a new entrance is planned for the building.

A new three storey spa building is proposed to be built to the south west of the planned restaurant.

The ground floor will serve as the main entrance to the spa, accessed through a welcoming lobby and reception area.

This level will house things like changing rooms, an indoor pool area with an open ceiling extending up to the third floor, a hot tub, a separate vitality pool, and both a sauna and steam room.

On the north side of the building, there will be a farm shop and café with separate entrance from the spa.

The café’s kitchen will be situated on the western side of this area to serve the indoor seating on the ground and first floor.

The first floor will feature the spa dining area which will be serviced by the ground-floor kitchen and an outdoor terrace would also be included.

There will also be four treatment rooms along with toilets, changing facilities, and a dedicated recovery room with its own outdoor terrace.

The third floor will be dedicated to guest accommodation made up of five hotel bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom and a private terrace.