PLANS have been submitted to repair, alter and extend an Anglesey hotel which was badly damaged in a “heartbreaking” fire.
The devastating blaze at the Harbour Hotel in the centre of Cemaes took hold in July this year, with guests evacuated while fire crews battled the flames.
The fire had started some time before 11pm on July 3, and had continued burning into the early hours of July 4.
Following the incident, Leah Marie Fitton, who ran the hotel, shared her heartbreak on social media.
She said: “Seeing it like this is absolutely heartbreaking. It’s not just a devastating loss for myself, but for our village.”
At the time, that she did not know what the future held for the hotel.
It is now hoped it could be fully refurbished and reopened “as soon as possible”.
Anglesey County Council has received a full application for alterations, extensions and repairs to the damaged building.
This is together with a plan to convert the loft space into a self-contained flat for staff accommodation.
The application has been made by Dylan Williams through the agent Gerwyn Jones.
Located on Stryd Y Bont the hotel is in the middle of Cemaes and just outside the Conservation Area boundary for Cemaes Bay.
The application describes how most of the fire was contained to bedrooms 1-6 on the first floor and the attic space directly above.
There was also some fire damage to the adjacent corridor and stairwell.
The ground floor had also been affected, mainly from water damage caused by “the fire service’s heroic attempts to extinguish the fire, and subsequent weather ingress as the roof directly above bedrooms 1-6 has been significantly destroyed,” a planning document states.
“The rear bedrooms on the first floor level and the rear storage rooms and [toilets] on the ground floor have relatively escaped without damage.
“The purpose of this application is to proceed with the construction works to make the building safe and that it can be fully refurbished and reopened as soon as possible.”
It also noted that much of the work required for the refurbishment would not require planning consent.
“However, the one main change the owner of the building would like to undertake as the fire has given the opportunity is to create a self contained flat in the attic space which was the subject of the fire directly above bedrooms 1-6,” it noted.
“In order to get the flat to work and provide suitable head room for it to be considered usable, the existing roof form has to be raised and adapted slightly.”
Although outside the designated Conversation Area the applicant considered the proposal will have “minimal impact”.
The proposed alterations are to be “contained on the footprint of the existing building” and the roof levels to be “raised marginally”.
It also noted that the materials to be used were “in keeping with existing” materials.
