Exeter City Council leader on Clarence sell-off

Phil Bialyk says planning permission is in place to rebuild it.

The hotel was devastated by the major fire in October 2016 and the owners of the hotel said that they would raise the Royal Clarence from the metaphorical, and literal, ashes of a terrible fire which hit global headlines.

The empty shell of the Royal Clarence Hotel still blights Exeter’s Cathedral Yard almost three years after the fire which destroyed it.

And the news broke on Tuesday morning that Andrew Brownsword Hotels have put the hotel up for sale, saying that they could not afford to rebuild the hotel and selling was “the only way to make the rebuild happen quickly and viably”.

It places the future of the hotel in doubt, with the statement from Andrew Brownsword saying that seeking new owners for the site is the only way that the rebuild can progress.

Exeter City Council leader Cllr Phil Bialyk said: “This is a very important building for Exeter – it is a landmark building. Planning permission is in place to rebuild it, and we would hope to see it returned to its former glory as soon as possible.”

Back in 2017, plans were submitted to demolish the remains of the building fabric that was left standing after the fire damage, and replace it would a new 74 bedroom hotel. They were approved by Exeter City Council in December 2017.

When issuing the approval notice, the council planning report said: “The fire itself has resulted in substantial harm to the heritage assets comprised in this application, and indirectly to those surrounding the site, including the setting of the Cathedral.

“Essentially the proposals can be seen as an opportunity to repair some of the impact that occurred as a result of the fire whilst creating a modern and viable hotel that makes a positive contribution to both the character and appearance of the area, and the economic vitality of the city.

“The proposal includes the restoration of the main facades, and the new floor is set well back and not directly on top of the old frontage. Therefore it is considered this element of the scheme would be recessive, seen against the skyline and not particularly noticeable from main vantage points.

“In terms of the economic justification for the roof extension it has to be acknowledged that this proposal represents the latest in a long series of new/extended buildings on the site.

“While there is inevitably some further harm to the heritage assets over and above that resulting from the fire and the partial demolition and stabilisation works, this harm is limited, less than substantial and mainly relates to the visual impact of the new roof line and excavation of new basement areas.

“This harm is also outweighed by the public benefits of getting the building rebuilt to a high quality that meets the modern standards expected of a premium city centre hotel, and restoring the environment and setting of the Cathedral Green to its former position as a significant and well used public space in the centre of the city.”

Further minor alterations to the elements proposed to be demolished were agreed in January, while at the end of 2018, the Construction Environmental Management Plan was considered acceptable.

Prior to the announcement, the actual rebuilding of the hotel structure itself was still out to tender, with no construction firm signed on the dotted line.

Announcing the hotel had been put up for sale, Mr Brownsword, said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the intended sale of the site of The Royal Clarence Hotel, but after many months of work and following extensive investment made, we have explored every avenue and have come to the conclusion that our group is unable to deliver a new hotel, as we had so hoped to do.

“We stand with the people of Exeter that this is such an important area of the city and so have made the very difficult decision that it is now time to seek new owners for the site, in order that the rebuild can progress.

“The extensive recovery and preparation work that has been completed at the site means it now offers an excellent opportunity for the next stage of development and I have had to concede that this will be realised by others.

“It was always my vision to deliver a new hotel at the level of luxury and quality as others within our group, however, the financial and resource investment made in the demolition, historic restoration and enabling works has been significant and this has meant that it is regretfully unviable for us to develop the level of hotel that we had envisaged. This has been a heart-breaking decision for us to take, but, alongside the residents of Exeter, we want to see this corner of Cathedral Yard resorted to its former glory.

“We believe that selling the site now to a group that operates to a different business model to ours, will enable them to start building, unencumbered by all of the challenges and costs already overcome by us, and is the only way we can conclude to make the rebuild happen quickly and viably.

“We thank all the people of Exeter for the patience and support that we have been shown since the night of the fire.”

One building though which has re-opened following the fire is the Castle Fine Art’s shop. Their entire contents were destroyed by blaze which swept the Yard in October 2016, but they have returning and re-opened in their former Cathedral Yard home.