£17m luxury flats plan for fire-hit hotel
ENGLAND’S oldest hotel which was destroyed by fire five years ago looks set to be rebuilt into luxury flats.
The Royal Clarence Hotel, dating back to 1769, was gutted in a blaze in 2016.
The devastating fire broke out at a fine art gallery and then spread to the hotel’s roof before destroying the historic interior.
Aerial photographs then showed the scale of destruction left behind that locals say ripped the heart out of the city centre of Exeter.
But despite efforts to try to reopen as a hotel, plans are now being put forward to turn it into a restaurant and bar on the ground floor with luxury apartments above.
The £17 million scheme was revealed this week after the site was acquired by South West Lifestyle Brands in August 2020 for around £2m.
It was previously owned by Bathbased greetings card tycoon Andrew Brownsword.
The proposal to restore the Grade II-listed 18th-century building involves creating 23 luxury apartments with a mix of two and threebed apartments located on the upper four storeys. It includes three duplex apartments over two floors.
The ground floor would be fully accessible to visitors with a large restaurant, a bar to replace the Well House Pub and two function rooms.
If approved, the plans would also see one of the function rooms opened to visitors to see some of the building’s historic fabric that was exposed by the fire.
This includes an inner courtyard featuring the surviving brick spine walls and a newly exposed Roman wall.
The apartments would retain as much heritage as possible and have been designed to showcase historical features.
James Brent, chairman of property developer Akkeron group, said: “We are delighted to share our plans to breathe new life into the historic and much-loved Royal Clarence building in Exeter, which the city is eager to see restored after five years of it sitting derelict following the terrible fire in 2016.
“Our proposals envisage the Royal Clarence being carefully restored to become a focal point in the heart of Exeter’s Cathedral Yard, with a publicly accessible ground floor offering high-quality restaurant and bar space.”
The scheme would create 180 fulltime jobs in Exeter during the construction phase, as well as 44 fulltime jobs upon completion.
The former owners, Andrew Brownsword Hotels, had assured the hotel would be rebuilt after the fire and obtained planning permission to do so in 2017 but the work was never progressed and later deemed unviable.
A public consultation has been launched before a full planning application which is expected to be submitted to Exeter City Council early next year.
The hotel was built in 1769 and is credited with being the first hotel in England.
On September 7 1770, an advert appeared using the word hôtel for the first time published by the landlord, the Frenchman, Pierre Berlon.
Over the years its esteemed guests have included Lord Nelson, Beatrix Potter and Thomas Hardy among many others. The father of the future Queen Victoria was also embalmed there after dying during a visit to nearby Sidmouth.