MAJOR plans have been submitted to refurbish and redevelop an iconic Newquay hotel complex.

The Nicholas James Group (NJG) proposes to upgrade and extend the Hotel Victoria, together with the demolition of a number of buildings, including the Griffin Inn and Senor Dicks Mexican Restaurant Berties Nightclub, O’Flanagans Bar and Berties Backpackers.

The planning application also includes knocking down the residential dwelling to the northwest of the hotel and 1 Cliff Road and the erection of 81 apartments with a commercial ground level unit, associated landscaping, parking, infrastructure and works.

The refurbishment and extension aim to create a “vastly improved” site with 90 bedrooms, a spa and pool.

The planning document said: “The Hotel Victoria was closed in November 2024 by the former owners owing to its poor trading and the need for extensive investment to bring the outdated hotel up to the required standard to meet expectations of guests and to remain competitive.

“Previously, it operated as a 71-room hotel with indoor pool and a small gym with limited parking on-site.

“The site comprises the hotel with lawn and grassed areas to the front and rear and a now closed bar and night club. I addition, the Griffin Inn is included in the overall proposals to ensure a comprehensive and viable redevelopment is achieved.

“Careful consideration has been given to the building’s significance as an undesignated heritage asset, the sites position in a prominent primary shopping area of the town centre and coastal frontage.

“The historic core of the Hotel Victoria will be retained and sensitively refurbished to reinstate its architectural integrity and secure its long-term viable use as a high-quality destination hotel.

“Unsympathetic later additions, including the east wing and Berties night club will be removed, enabling the reinstatement of the hotel’s original symmetrical form and enhancing its setting within a generous landscaped frontage.

“The proposed alterations will improve the hotel’s sense of arrival and prominence in the streetscape.

“The new residential buildings have been carefully designed to respect the scale, rhythm and grain of the surrounding town centre. The apartment blocks will be a mix of sizes and tenures. The residential development has been designed to create clear and legible routes through the site, active frontages, and high quality communal and public spaces.

“Ground floor commercial users will animate the street frontages and contribute to the vitality of East Street and Cliff Road.

“In addition, the proposed new residential units will make a meaningful contribution to the local housing supply, assisting the council with its recognised shortfall. The site is not subjected to any overriding constraints that would preclude its redevelopment.”

“The proposals represent a sustainable form of development that will deliver wide-ranging public benefits, secure the future of a valued none dsignated heritage asset, and regenerate an important site in the heart of Newquay.”

Newquay Conservation Area group opposes part of the Victoria Hotel being demolished as part of the refurbishment and extension.

A spokesperson said: “The proposals would result in the loss of the eastern section of the Victoria Hotel, which is identified as a historic part of a non-designated heritage asset.

“Planning and heritage officers confirm that this section contributes to the hotel’s historic and townscape significance, and its demolition would constitute heritage harm, resulting in the loss of locally important historic fabricBoth the Historic Environment Officer and the Cornwall Design Review Panel state that the loss of the eastern section is not currently justified, noting that the heritage rationale is unclear and that further Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) work is required.

“While retaining the eastern section may constrain redevelopment potential, the Planning Officer confirms that this does not remove the need for clear and convincing justification in line with heritage policy.”