Llandudno Pier owner snaps up long-vacant pavilion site 

Tir Prince Leisure Group has acquired the plot after having been an outspoken critic of plans to redevelop the site into 54 apartments.

The half-acre site, between the Grand Hotel and Leisure Island Amusements, has been empty for 27 years after the old pavilion was destroyed by a fire in 1994. 

Having secured consent for the apartment scheme, the site’s former owner Alan Waldron put the contentious Pier Pavilion plot up for auction with a guide price of £2.8m. 

However, the site has been sold prior to going under the hammer, after an agreement was reached between Waldron and Tir Prince owner Adam Williams. 

Williams, whose attractions include Llandudno Pier and Tir Prince Raceway, has long been an outspoken opponent of Waldron’s plans to build flats on the site. He claims the development would be detrimental to the pier. 

Williams told the Daily Post in June that the scheme would “will shorten the life of the pier”. 

The site’s new owner said the decision to buy the plot was “easy and straightforward”, in a statement published on Facebook. 

“Tir Prince Leisure Group hopes that the acquisition of this site will enable us to secure the long-term future of Llandudno Pier and Llandudno as the jewel in the crown of North Wales tourism.” 

The leisure company aims to use the site to “enhance and improve its current offering”, suggesting it will not implement Waldron’s residential plans.

“In many ways the hard work starts now but we are confident that we can do something extremely worthwhile with the site and further announcements will follow in due course,” Tir Price added. 

Meanwhile, Waldron’s apartment scheme is the subject of a holding direction issued by the Welsh Government to Conwy Council, enabling further consideration of the plans, which could result in a call-in.