Proposals for the RPH site

Prior proposals for the Royal Pier Hotel site

CNM Estates have owned the Royal Pier Hotel site since they bought the building and its associated land in 2007. At that time planning permission had been applied for by the previous owner (NSC reference 03/P/2712/F) to change the use of part of the hotel and an extension to the roof to form 13 residential flats. This application included refurbishment of the existing hotel and the addition of function rooms including a private swimming pool, fitness centre and conservatory. This application was approved with a number of conditions being put in place, although this work was never started.

The hotel remained in operation for some time after the acquisition, and then closed for good and the building was boarded up, remaining empty for several years.

Two serious fires occurred in the hotel building in 2009 and 2010. The hotel was demolished by order of North Somerset Council within days of the second fire.

RPH Fire 2010

In December 2010 CNM Estates applied for planning permission (NSC reference 11/P/0006/F) to erect a new building on the site of between four and seven storeys accommodating 63 apartments, with class A1 (retail), A3 (Food and Drink) and A4 (Drinking Establishments) uses, including a visitors centre, beach huts and underground car and cycle parking.

Although this planning application was considered by NSC, with a number of conditions being applied, no final approval was ever given. Up to the present time, NSC have never recovered the hotel demolition costs incurred by them following the second fire and a degree of local controversy has arisen about this.

An early impression of the RPH development as proposed in 2010/11.

In August 2012 CNM published an updated prospectus in the form of a presentation to NSC which involved three separate new developments in the wider Birnbeck area including the RPH site. No planning applications for these additional developments were ever submitted by CNM.

Moving forward to more recent proposals prior to the submission of CNM’s planning application of 21 September 2021 to North Somerset Council:

On 29 April 2021 CNM Estates publicly presented their revised plans for 95 flats with catering and retail units on the Royal Pier Hotel site, incorporating an eight storey block (above the level of Birnbeck Road) and two lower basement floors.

The presentation took the form of a Zoom webinar with pre-registration of participants. Around 70 members of the public viewed the event as it took place in real time.

Developer’s artist impressions of the 2021 proposals:

Royal Pier Hotel 2021 01