PART of a former bank in Pontypridd town centre will become a hotel after plans were approved.
The application for a mixed use development at the former HSBC building in Taff Street was approved by Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council’s planning committee on Thursday, March 20.
It will see the ground floor use kept and additional uses added including an “apart-hotel” made up of nine units.
Details submitted with the application suggest that guests would typically stay for a weekend, but could also book a unit Monday to Friday, leaving the premises at the weekend for new guests to occupy the rooms.
But the supporting information also says that the apartments could also be let out on a longer term basis which the applicant has indicated is not currently covered by the rental market.
The building is currently vacant but was most recently an HSBC bank and before that it was a pub known as the Butchers Arms Hotel.
In recommending approval, officers said the proposed development would offer the opportunity to bring a currently vacant and underused building that is located at the heart of Pontypridd town centre back into beneficial use, preventing it from falling into a state of disrepair.
They said the proposal would result in very few changes being made to what is considered to be a historically and architecturally prominent building within Pontypridd town conservation area and it would therefore help to preserve the character of the surrounding townscape.
They said it would have a positive impact on the vitality and viability of the town centre by providing a direct service to visiting members of the public and ensuring that sufficient daytime and evening pedestrian activity would be generated which would avoid creating an area of inactivity.
Councillor Mike Powell said he thought it would be a great benefit to the town bringing tourism.
Councillor Scott Emanuel said he thought it was a great development and the more accommodation they could generate to bring tourism to Rhondda Cynon Taf the better but he did raise concerns about the removal of the fire escape although a planning officer highlighted that the building control department had said it would still be compliant with building regulations.
