Application to Change Setup of Lamphey Hall Hotel Withdrawn, Citing Unsustainable Consumer Trends

A call to change the setup of a Pembrokeshire village hotel to address changing consumer trends, which the application says has left a part of the business “unsustainable,” have been withdrawn.
In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, AA House Ltd, through agent Argent Architects, sought permission for a partial change of use of Lamphey Hall Hotel, Lamphey, reducing the area given to catering facilities in favour of a new two-bed residential apartment.
The building is believed to date from the 19th century, constructed originally as a rectory.
A supporting statement said: “The hotel currently offers an in-house carvery to support its accommodation facilities, albeit accessible to the public.  Current consumer trends have meant however that guests have preferred to explore dining options in the wider area, rather than opting to eat where they stay.
“As a result of the above, the in-house catering facilities have become unsustainable, with negligible uptake giving a net financial loss.
“Considering this, the applicant seeks to scale these back to simpler breakfast facilities and use the resulting space to create rental residential accommodation in the form of an additional two-bedroom apartment.  The remaining operations in the hotel will support those employed at the site.
“With the proposed alterations being entirely internal, the visual impact of the scheme is neutral.  The partial adjustment to the function of the building is secondary to its main purpose and will not alter the way in which it has been enjoyed by the public.”
Local community council Lamphey objected to the application, saying: “We understand that the work to the building has already taken place and therefore this application is a retrospective application. As the work has already taken place then this application should be for a change of use as we understand the restaurant/bar area have already been removed.”
It also added: “The change of use from a hotel/restaurant is a loss to the village as a popular tourist facility and as a local employer.”
The application is now marked as withdrawn. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​