Homes under the Hammer Presenter Plans “Passion Project” for Rhondda Hotel to Boost Tourism

Homes Under the Hammer presenter Martin Roberts has said he hopes his “passion project” plans for a Rhondda hotel can be a catalyst and vote of confidence to boost tourism in the area he has fallen in love with.
The television presenter spoke at a Rhondda Cynon Taf planning and development committee on Thursday, July 18 in favour of his application for the Hendrewen Hotel public house on Hendrewen Road in Blaencwm which the committee approved.
The plans involve the refurbishment of the hotel including  a restaurant, kitchen and toilet extensions, a two storey detached bedroom block
containing six disabled bedrooms, a village shop and an activity storage building.
It also involves the construction of access path and ramp on adjoining land to the south-west and use of this land for a beer garden.
Mr Roberts said it has become a “passion project” saying he can see the impact on tourism and the area.
He said: “I’ve fallen in love with the area. I’ve fallen in love with the community. I want to do my bit to hopefully help it with some regeneration.
“And I hope that this project can be a catalyst and a vote of confidence in the area.”
He said it’s just him and it is a “massive financial gamble” for him saying he needs all the support he can get.
Mr Roberts said these are extremely difficult times in the hospitality industry with 25 pubs a week closing so he’s got to stack as many things as possible in his favour so this community facility can be economically viable.
He said he has to attract people all the way up the valley so he has to create something that people will travel to which is why he’s putting in the accommodation and why the outdoor seating is proposed for the green space with the idea of having events there in a marquee.
He said: “It’ll all give me a better chance of this being a long term economically viable project which is what I want it to be for the community, for Blaencwm, for the Rhondda and for the Valleys of Wales where I want to do my bit to try and help tourism in that area.”
Mr Robert said he thinks there is general support from the local community and that it was the only facility in the area adding that he’s proud that he’s bringing it back to life and enhancing it with things like the village shop and the disabled accommodation.
The application site relates to a hotel/pub and associated land which is located within the settlement of Blaencwm, at the top north-western part of the Rhondda Fawr valley.
The site, which comprises a surface area of approximately 0.075 hectares, is within the northern strategy area as defined by the Local Development Plan, but like the rest of Blaencwm, is outside the settlement boundary.
The hotel, formerly the Dunraven Arms, was constructed in the second half of the 19th Century and occupies the south-western part of the site directly fronting Hendrewen Road.
The site and the rest of Blaencwm, are within a registered landscape of outstanding historic interest and Special Landscape Area.
Two letters and a petition containing 101 names were received objecting to the use of the green space to the south-west of the Hendrewen for a car park.
But the revised scheme does not now include the car park and would be for a beer garden use only.
A full re-consultation was done when the revised plans were received and no further public comments came in.
One objector speaking at the meeting said that people have been using the green space since the 1980s and people have looked after it adding that they feel that it should continue to be able to be used by the community with there being not many open green spaces in Blaencwm.
She said it’s not a problem for the space to be used for events but what is a problem is to put it into private hands rather than community hands.
But Mr Roberts said this is not about the ownership of the land and that the plan is to lease the land so they can maintain it.
He said his intention is not to stop anybody using this land. He said it will not be fenced off and there would just be benches there.
Councillor Scott Emanuel, planning committee member and local councillor for the area, said he thinks what the developer wants to do is “absolutely fantastic” and he looks forward to seeing it brought back into use but said he did have concerns about the land next door with talk about having weddings there which would be once a month or every weekend which would mean the public wouldn’t have access to it.
He said: “I would much prefer if that village green stayed in the hands of the people of the village.”
Councillor Will Jones, another local member, said the development is “exceptional” and is really needed at the top end of the valley but said the memorial garden issue is the only issue and hopefully there can be a compromise.
Committee member Councillor Sharon Rees said it is a very positive development and she would welcome bringing the building back into use.
Fellow committee member Councillor Wayne Owen said the application is quite refreshing and he’s all for keeping pubs open and reopening pubs and that if the lease is sorted out correctly the residents and the viability of the pub will work together.
Councillor Loretta Tomkinson, also a committee member, said she likes the application and it’s situated in a lovely area adding it will be great for local tourism but said the leasing aspect of the land would be a good way to control any concerns residents have.
In recommending approval, planning officers said: “The application represents an exciting opportunity to refurbish and extend the existing business, which in addition to supporting and helping to diversify the local economy would provide high quality accommodation and hospitality to support the council’s aspirations for the development of tourism, together with a convenient small shop for the benefit of the community.
“The design, scale and layout of the extended property and associated works
would have an acceptable and sympathetic visual impact, both in terms of the
street scene and wider landscape, and in respect of the amenity of third parties or highway safety would represent a compatible form of development.”
They added that the proposed works would create an attractively designed development, providing additional tourist bed space and facilities of a scale appropriate to the size of the site and its location.
They said the development would secure the future of the business, be beneficial to both locals and visitors, and would align with the wider aims of PPW12 (Planning Policy Wales 12) in supporting the rural economy and its communities. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

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