Derelict Northop hotel could make way for 80-bed care home after decade empty
A hotel that has stood vacant for roughly ten years on the edge of Northop could be demolished and replaced with an 80-bedroom residential care facility, after planning officers recommended the scheme for approval.
The final decision rests with Flintshire’s planning committee, which meets on Wednesday.
Members could still refuse the application or impose different conditions, and a previous application on the same site was refused by the council in 2019.
Bod Hotels Ltd wants to knock down the former Plas Ifan Hotel on Village Road and build a three-storey care home on the 0.9-hectare site.
The new building would include communal dining rooms, a cinema room, a hair and beauty salon and physiotherapy rooms, along with gardens for residents.
The site lies just outside Northop Hall’s settlement boundary, around 12 metres west of the village edge, but officers concluded it qualifies as previously developed land under national planning policy, meaning the site is acceptable for development.
An earlier attempt to build 24 homes on the site was refused by the council and a subsequent appeal thrown out the following year.
Northop Hall Community Council has backed the application but asked officers to ensure drainage arrangements are clarified, that trees and shrubs around the boundary are retained, and that a substation originally proposed close to a neighbouring property is moved.
The applicant amended the plans in response, repositioning the substation and introducing low-level bollard lighting within the site.
Flintshire’s own built conservation officer expressed a preference for the existing building to be kept, noting it has “a significant amount of architectural merit” and is of local historical interest.
Officers concluded, however, that the building is not listed, not designated as a building of local interest, and is in poor condition requiring substantial investment to make habitable.
Councillor L Thew, one of the two local members for the ward, raised no objection but asked that the application include recognition of the family who built Plas Ifan and operated nearby Galchog Colliery.
Officers agreed, and if permission is granted the conditions would require an information board referencing the family’s history to be installed before the facility opens.
The proposed building, at approximately 4,482 square metres across three floors, represents roughly a 350% increase in floorspace compared to the existing hotel.
Highways officers have no objection but are requiring off-site works as conditions, including widening the footpath along the Village Road frontage and installing a pedestrian crossing on the B5125.
Sixty-one parking spaces are proposed to the side and rear of the building, with a single access point on the western boundary of the site.
If approved, development cannot begin until a sustainable drainage solution is agreed and contamination investigations are completed.
The planning committee meets on Wednesday 11 March, when members will make the final decision on the application.
Check live fuel prices near you before you set off.
Spotted something? Got a story? Email news (@) deeside.com
NEW: Add Deeside.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Latest News
