In this project, GBA were instructed to prepare a planning application for the change of use of a retail store to a spa hotel, café/bar, and restaurant. GBA provided planning consultancy services for the project, while architectural services were delivered by Thomas Parry Design.  

 

The proposed development comprises three buildings: two buildings located on either side of St Nicholas’s Lane, with retail frontages on both Upper Frog Street and High Street (the former retail store), and the Market Hall/Town Hall. The buildings flanking St Nicholas’s Lane are connected by a first-floor bridge that spans the lane below.

 

Viewed from Upper Frog Street, the property has two entrances on either side of St Nicholas’s Lane. The left-hand building (Part 1) stretches between High Street and Upper Frog Street, while the right-hand building (Part 2) has a frontage only on Upper Frog Street. Part 1 comprises three storeys and a basement; Part 2 comprises two storeys only.The Market Hall/Town Hall adjoins Part 1 and comprises two storeys: the ground floor is predominantly occupied by the Market Hall, and the first floor by the former Town Hall and storage rooms for the market.

 

Historically, the former retail store was occupied by the T.P. Hughes department store, which opened in 1902 and closed in 2017. The T.P. Hughes name remains visible on the building in the mosaic step at the right-hand frontage on Frog Street and in the stained glass window of the bridge.

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The proposed development would see the property converted into a spa hotel, comprising hotel rooms and a spa equipped with a gym, sauna, treatment rooms, and hot tub, along with a café/bar and a restaurant. The development will facilitate the restoration of an important local building and the reuse of the former town hall, providing a sustainable future for both.

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GBA's scope of works included preparing the planning statement, heritage impact statement, and representing the application at the planning committee. Further updates will be provided as the project progresses.

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