'Unsightly' derelict Snowdonia hotel could be demolished

A derelict hotel deemed "unsightly" in Snowdonia could be razed to the ground.

The national park authority served a notice for the St David's Hotel, Harlech, to be pulled down.

The body said it has been inundated with complaints over the state of the Gwynedd venue which closed in 2008.

In 2014, permission was granted for it to be replaced by a 130-bed hotel, but owner Aitchison Associates did not move forward with the project.

The hotel, built in 1910, has a prominent position in the town, and Snowdonia National Park Authority's planning officer Jane Jones said its "unsightly appearance seriously detracts from the surrounding vicinity and prevents the economic development of Harlech".

'Completely perished'

Ms Jones added: "With the hotel building in such a poor state of disrepair, repair work is no longer feasible: windows rotting, dormer windows completely perished, sections of the roof have collapsed and other numerous structural defects. Internally the building has been gutted."

She said discussions over the future of the site have been slow because Aitchison Associates is based in Gibraltar.

If no appeal is made against the notice, it will take effect in January, with 15 months then given to comply with it.