Western Morning News (Saturday)
Rebuild plans submitted for fire-hit hotel
PLANS to turn Exeter’s historic fire-ravaged Royal Clarence hotel into luxury apartments and a bar and restaurant have finally been submitted.
New owners South West Lifestyle Brands is proposing to develop the Grade II listed 18th Century building into 23 luxury apartments, but has promised to recreate the original facade and exterior, and retain as much of the building’s history as possible.
The residential units would be created from the first floor upwards, with a restaurant and pub – formerly the Well House Tavern Pub – on the ground floor.
The £17million scheme is aimed at finally giving a new lease of life to the former hotel which was devastated by fire more than five years ago in October 2016.
After the fire, extensive clearance and stabilisation work was undertaken to make the building safe. The new plans for the building, prepared by leading Exeter-based property developer Akkeron Group, say it has deteriorated since the blaze.
The main building dates back to 1769, and contains several structures which date back to medieval times.
After the blaze the then owners, Andrew Brownsword Hotels, obtained planning permission in 2017 to create a new hotel, including an additional upper storey, but work did not progress and in August 2020 the site was sold to South West Lifestyle Brands.
Photographs taken by KTA Architects between November 2020 and April 2021, highlight the poor condition of the Royal Clarence. Large parts of it were destroyed during the fire and have been left open to the elements allowing it to fall into a further state of disrepair requiring urgent action to be taken to save the remaining structure.
The structural assessment states: “Almost all the timber work, including structural beams and floors, is heavily saturated due to constant exposure to the elements. With little chance to cyclically dry, it has caused the timber to rot and decay resulting in structural bearing end issues and mould growth.
“All the timber is inadequate for structural purposes and is recommended to be removed. Much of the steelwork has corroded due to exposure to the elements. In some cases, remedial works could be undertaken to salvage the steelwork, but in many cases the structure is no longer fit for purpose and is recommended for removal. Many of the chimneys are unstable and unsafe. Due to the extent of works needed to stabilise the structures and the risk they pose to public safety, it is recommended they are removed either in part or as a whole.”
The proposal looks to retain as much of the surviving building as possible. Most notably, the existing medieval spine walls are being retained and used as a natural divide between commercial and residential units. The building will contain 15 two-bed apartments and eight three-bed apartments. The rebuilt Royal Clarence facade and restored Well House and Exeter Bank are to look as they were before the fire in 2016.
A viability statement for the project describe it as “a high-quality scheme on a difficult site”, adding: “It restores the historic building and its presence on Cathedral Yard, delivers 23 new, high-quality apartments and much-needed commercial space.”