Path clear for Conwy Civic Hall transformation

Developer Nautical Point has secured planning permission to demolish a 1960s extension to the grade two-listed building off Castle Street in the town centre – replacing it with an aparthotel and food hall.

Conwy County councillors voted unanimously to approve the project at a planning committee meeting last week. The scheme should bring a vacant building back into use, with a new extension aiming to mimic aspects of the 13th-century military architecture that surrounds the site.

The 12,000 sq ft Conwy Civic Hall was last used as a library and a 240-capacity theatre. The theatre shut in 2014, while the ground-floor library shuttered in 2019.

Donald Insall Associates, which is leading on the design and heritage aspects of the project, pays homage to both uses in the project. Under Nautical Point’s approved plans, the historic building will be converted into a food hall and community space, with an area for entertainment.

The upper floors of the building and its new extension would become a 16-bed aparthotel.

It has been a five-year journey getting the project to the point of planning consent, according to Stuart Askey, business development manager at Nautical Point.

Through that time there have been quite a few changes, he noted.

Askey said: “Having changed significantly the look and appearance of the scheme on a number of occasions following extensive consultation and feedback from members of the public and the statutory consultees, hopefully now the scheme can move forward and deliver the wider economic benefits to Conwy and the region that it can offer and also breathe new life into the building for the future”.

Matt Osmont, practice director and Conwy studio lead at Donald Insall, spoke more about the project’s final design.

“Working on Conwy Civic Hall has been fascinating from a conservation point of view but also typologically,” he said.

“A Civic Hall, perhaps more than most building types, needs to represent its community. This is why it was critical that our architectural approach reflects the results of our public consultation and the views of the project stakeholders, including ICOMOS [International Council on Monuments and Sites].

“Our team’s confident approach offers a playful interpretation of Conwy’s roofscape while respectfully creating a buffer between the mediaeval town walls and the Victorian townscape,” he continued.

“The current design balances the need for managing change within a historic environment while retaining the compelling layered approach that makes Conwy Civic Hall so special.”

Cadnant is the planner for the project. The team behind the scheme also includes flood risk expert KRS Enviro, transport consultant Development Planning, and structural engineer JPS.

To learn more about the project search application reference number 0/51369 on Conwy County Council’s planning portal.