WRU hotel by Cardiff's Principality Stadium given go-ahead

The existing buildings will be refurbished and a new six-storey extension built

Plans for a new luxury hotel next to Cardiff's Principality Stadium have been given the go-ahead.

The former post office and county court in Westgate Street will be turned into a four-star, 175-bed hotel operated by the Celtic Manor Resort.

The existing buildings will be refurbished and a new six-storey extension built.

Cardiff councillors voted seven-to-one in favour of approving the plans.

• WRU to open luxury hotel next to stadium

• City post office 'empty until 2023'

• Hotel and flats plan for stadium

Developer Rightacres and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), who are behind the plans, said the new Westgate Hotel would have a "prestigious" entrance hall, one of the largest function rooms in Cardiff, capable of seating 350 guests, a new bar and a 120-seater restaurant along with a leisure spa.

The county court has stood since 1904, while the post office was built in 1896.

The former post office was built in 1896

Seventeen people objected to the plans, and HM Courts and Tribunals Service, which uses the Cardiff Civil and Family Justice Centre next door to the site, raised concerns about noise, vibration and dust during construction and the impact on traffic.

It said security at the access from Westgate Street was its biggest concern, "since members of the judiciary are at risk due to the nature of their work and are, from time to time, the subject of various threats of harm".

The developers have been asked to pay £50,000 towards improving the footpath on Westgate Street, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.