Demolition of grand estate house destroyed by fire given go-ahead

PLANS to demolish a once grand estate house which then became a hotel before being engulfed by fire have been given the go-ahead.

Goodig House, overlooking Burry Port, is believed to originally have been a farmhouse before being enlarged and upgraded in 1701.

Camarthenshire Council has now given planning permission for what’s left of the building to be knocked down and replaced with four new homes.

Goodig House had several different owners over the centuries and, according to an article by Pembrey and Burry Port Heritage Group, was vacant for a time before turned into a 17-room hotel in the 1960s.

The heritage group said it had a large ballroom and a restaurant, and became a social centre for people in Burry Port. “It was a popular venue and many recall having met their future partners there,” said an article by the heritage group. But that all changed in 1983 when the hotel was engulfed by fire.

A planning application was submitted on behalf of the building’s owners to knock it down and build one house in its place, but it was withdrawn in 2019 due to the potential impact on bats.

The latest proposal for four replacement homes was preceded by discussions between the applicant and Carmarthenshire Council planning officers, and includes bat mitigation proposals. There are 17 conditions attached to the planning consent relating to access and lighting, among other things.

Burry Port councillors John James and Shelly Godfrey-Coles have welcomed the planning approval, with the former recalling the hotel prior to the fire.

“There was entertainment, cabaret, a restaurant and it was well supported by the public,” said Cllr James. “Unfortunately the hotel didn’t take off to the expectations it had.”

He added: “Then there was the fire, and it never opened again.”

Land to the south of the former hotel, off Pwll Road, is being developed separately into an estate of up to 103 homes by housing provider Pobl Group.