PLANS to demolish the majority of a former prominent hotel in Porth and build new holiday accommodation have been given the go ahead.

Cornwall Council has approved a planning application to knockdown a part of the Glendorgal Hotel in Lusty Glaze Road and construct 13 units on the site, which include apartments, townhouses, semi-detached properties and duplex houses.

The planning permission also involves a change of use of the existing Villa to holiday restricted dwelling and a change of use to retained parts of the hotel including alterations, extensions to create three holiday restrictive self-contained apartments together with proposed new build holiday restrictive dwellings.

The new dwelling, unit 12, retaining open market unrestricted use in lieu of change of use of The Villa.

Additional features include the removal of the cliff loop road, associated car parking, general landscaping, and reinstatement and conservation of the Barrow.

Andrew Beard on behalf of Blue Chip Hotels Limited, who are site owners, said: “The site is a former hotel site, now not operating, which has adjacent holiday homes, but also includes an important headland area at the entrance to Porth beach.

“It is proposed to demolish most of the existing hotel, with a retained section adjacent neighbouring holiday dwellings to ensure protection when constructing.

“This also allows the new holiday dwellings to be moved back from the cliff improving openness and value of the headland from Porth and opposite.

“The existing villa will be demolished and replaced as an open market dwelling.

“The central Barrow is the most important feature of the site and is retained with the same conservation scheme to remove the loop road and complete landscaping restoration.

“This major conservation and landscape benefit is still the core priority of the redevelopment.

“There is now proposed two “sunken” holiday dwellings in the southern headland edge, which will not be visible from the headland opposite and have been relocated on the site to be where previous spoil has been situated and in response to the pre-application original concern.

“The hotel is currently not in operation following both Covid but also the failure of the previous developer to complete the contract following permission granted in May 2020.

“Prior to the last application significant investment was required in the hotel operation and the three years trading figures 2016-2019 showed the business making a continued loss.

“The previous trading indicated an occupancy rate of 50 to 60 per cent throughout the year and its operation and ongoing work to the buildings is also detrimental to the upkeep of the timeshare and self-catering holiday units to the rear of the site, which also need upgrading.

“Since 2020 apart from a brief period in 2023 the hotel has been closed.

“Market advice has concluded that the previous scheme did not meet the size demand for holiday accommodation, given the sites location and its suitability for family accommodation rather than smaller units.

“Given the previous scheme was unviable and the further dormant period the site is in danger of serious decay. Indeed, the main hotel internally has suffered from inactive sustained use.

“It is in the wider public interest to ensure that the site and headland is in good condition for ongoing environmental stewardship within an important and well-loved beach and headland.

“The priority is to deliver a viable scheme that can deliver the primary restoration of landscape and conversation of the Barrow and headland and coast with sensitive new build holiday let apartments and houses.”