Iconic seaside building being transformed into new homes
GENERATIONS of visitors to Porthcawl’s Rest Bay will know the clifftop Victorian building overlooking the sea.
For many years this Grade II listed property was a convalescent home, before it closed in 2013.
But now it is undergoing a total transformation and its future is safe.
Once called The Rest, it provided miners with the opportunity for a healthpromoting seaside break, before it then became a hospital for wounded Allied soldiers during both world wars.
Prior to its closure, the building was a holiday hotel for older people and a base for a charity supporting service personnel suffering with mental health challenges.
Five years on, the imposing building – now called The Links – is being redeveloped.
Since 2016, Acorn Property Group has been working with its partners on renovating the building into a collection of 35 homes comprising of studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with an expected guide price of between £200,000-£800,000.
A further development of 34 new-builds is planned for the second phase of the project.
Jessica Ware, sales manager, said almost 1,000 people were already on the company’s inquiries database for properties at the site.
She added: “A large pro- portion of the potential buyers are local residents or people who have a strong and passionate connection to the build- ing. There’s a lot of local people looking to downsize who absolutely love the building and want to be a part of it.
“We’ve had people originally from Porthcawl who have moved away to areas like London who want to come back home to Porth- cawl, and some of the inquiries are from people that have holidayed in Porthcawl as a child and they want a second home.
“We’ve also had interest from people who use the neighbouring golf club who aren’t local but want to stay.”