A four-star hotel which was at the heart of a hugely controversial plan to close to the public in order to house asylum seekers is to reopen in the spring after the plans were scrapped. Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli closed last summer with the site set to be transformed into accommodation for 240 asylum seekers during the summer months.
More than 100 people lost their jobs at the spa hotel having worked their final shifts in July. But the decision to close the hotel was vehemently opposed by locals, some of whom lined the street outside the hotel in tents in protest for months. Among the opposers was Carmarthenshire Council.
While most of the protesters were peaceful 40 arrests were made between August and October while Dyfed Powys Police spent more than £1m dealing with the protests. In October hundreds returned to the site in celebration after confirmation came that the Home Office had reversed its decision due to “a number of practical and logistical challenges”. Since then there has been uncertainty over the future of the hotel, but on Tuesday, Stradey Park Hotel confirmed its intention to open to the public again in the spring.
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A statement from the hotel reads: “Exciting news: Stradey Park Hotel is reopening. We are thrilled to announce that the hotel is gearing up to reopen its doors to the public. After a period of careful preparation and enhancements we are eager to welcome you back. Stay tuned for more details of our reopening date this spring.”
Labour councillor Shaun Greaney told WalesOnline that the owners of the hotel Gryphon Leisure Limited and its parent company Sterling Woodrow should now give all 100 jobs back to the hotel's original staff who lost their jobs last year. “I would urge the owners to take those 100 workers back on as soon as possible," he said. "Should they give the jobs back to those workers then they deserve the support of the community.
"It was a tremendous blow to Llanelli’s tourism industry when the hotel shut. It’s good news the hotel reopens. I can understand reservations on some people’s part regarding the owners looking to reopen now having taken the government funding for something totally inappropriate for the area. But we don’t want the hotel to be a white elephant, we want it benefiting Llanelli and the people of Llanelli, and I hope we can all now pull together for the good of the hotel and the town."
Robert Lloyd, a spokesman for the Furnace Action Committee which was set up to be a non-political group to work on behalf of the people of Furnace and Llanelli, said the villagers and the community would be giving a "cautious welcome" to the news of the hotel’s reopening.
“We warned back in October, when the Home Office scrapped the asylum seekers plan, that we would need to remain vigilant about the hotel’s future use," he said. “The hotel’s owners were totally hopeless in engaging with the local community during the long summer fight over the asylum seekers plan. Sadly, they haven’t really changed their leopard spots as they continue to miss a great opportunity to engage with villagers and the wider community of Llanelli about their future plans.
"Short announcements on social media are not sufficient and we need greater communication from the owners about their plans. Yes, we are aware that work has been continuing on the hotel, with progress on the rooms, carpets, fittings and the kitchen. But more detailed bulletins would be welcomed and would help to ease the nervous air which continues to exist in the village.
“The cost to the community of this ill-conceived plan has been huge. There are police costs of more than £1million and costs of more than £300,000 to Carmarthenshire Council. There are also other costs to be factored in – and don’t forget that there is the hidden cost of loss of tourism revenue for Llanelli and Carmarthenshire.
"We want the hotel restored to four-star status as soon as possible, but recognise there may have to be a phased return to normal service. We would like to see as many former staff as possible return to the hotel, while appreciating that some may have moved on and may not wish to return."
The long-running fallout from the original plans to close the hotel became confused and aggressive in part even though the campaigners were generally calling for the hotel's reopening. In October, after protesters arrived outside the hotel to celebrate the decision to call off the plans, journalists and campaigners were abused in the street and advised by officers present from Dyfed Powys Police to leave the area.
Dafydd Llywelyn, police and crime commissioner for Dyfed Powys Police, said in October he wanted “answers” from the Home Office after the force had been made to commit huge resources to the hotel site. Mr Llywelyn admitted the force’s role at the site had become “untenable”.
