Llandudno Civic Trust is part of the Llandudno Seaside Buildings Preservation Trust, and is registered with the Civic Trust for Wales, the Association of Preservation Trusts and the Architectural Heritage Fund

Contact Stuart Rivers at Trem y Gloddaeth, Glanwydden, Llandudno, LL31 9JP

Llandudno Civic Trust is opposing Conwy Borough Council's plans to extend the North Wales Theatre building. The Trust is concerned at the impact of the scheme on the famous Llandudno Promenade, one of the finest of its kind in Europe, and dating from the 1850s. The issue is not the need to extend and improve the facilities, but the “totally unsympathetic front elevations that are proposed”.

The Trust is also concerned at what it asserts is a lack of public consultation, because of the urgency to obtain Objective 1 funding. It argues that the proposed flat-roofed new build will be out of keeping with a conservation area where almost all structures have pitched roofs. The Promenade is exceptionally well-preserved, with all its forty-plus hotels listed — together with more than thirty properties in North and South Parades, the Pier, and various pavilions, these make up an exceptional group of structures.

For the Trust, Stuart Rivers claims that the proposed front elevation and roof treatment of the theatre extension will devastate this grouping, and at the same time the proposals fail to address deficiencies such as the lack of a clear entry and the “unfortunate” slanted tower windows. The two flat roof extensions are likened to business park design, and two floating pods ignore the long-established building line and set “a dangerous precedent in planning terms”. (11/04)

UPDATE The Seaside Preservation Trust has asked the Assembly Government to "call in" the theatre proposals. In a letter to Planning Division dated 22 December, they have pointed out in the process what they consider to be a series of serious omissions in the handling of the application. Support for the campaign has come from the local AM, while the Prince of Wales has stated that he is "saddened" by the nature of the proposal and its impact on the Promenade. Concern has been expressed by the Victorian Society and Mostyn Estates Ltd. The Design Commission has pointed out that it was not consulted and that it was disappointed that the local authority did not take advantage of its design review service. (01/05)