Former Moelfre Lifeboat Station Considered for Holiday Accommodation

A 19th century former lifeboat station nestled in the cliffs above the raging seas off  Moelfre is being earmarked for holiday accommodation.
The seaside village’s old stone and slate station at Porth Nigwyl is being considered by Anglesey County Council planners in a ‘screening opinion’ to change it into a two-bed holiday let.
Planning documents describe proposals for the conversion of the former lifeboat station with associated works, including landscaping and infrastructure.
A screening opinion is a formal decision by a local planning authority on whether a proposed development needs a full Environmental Impact Assessment and comes ahead of a planning application.
The proposal describes the conversion and refurbishment of the Victorian stone single storey structure which was put up for auction, with a guide price of £95,000,  last year.
The applicant is Urban Design and Construct Ltd, through the planning agent Jim Seymour.
The old station lies not far from a poignant statue to one of Moelfre’s most heroic RNLI lifeboatmen, the Coxswain Richard ‘Dic’ Evans, located at the nearby RNLI shop.
Moelfre has been well known down the centuries for its wild seas, historic ship-wrecks and heroic lifeboat rescues.
Dating from 1875, the old RNLI station was the second to be built in Moelfre, costing almost £159 (£15,566 today).
It served Anglesey’s east coast for about 34 years until being replaced by a larger facility along the coast.
In recent years the property was privately used as a boathouse, extending to around 66 sq metres with a small store room at the rear.
Plans describe the property, which only has pedestrian access, as primarily located at the side of the boathouse, via an access ramp to the coastal path.
It connects the boathouse to the car-park located adjacent to the Moelfre RNLI Shop, north west of the site, off the A5108.
Among the design plans for the building, a summary describes how the “existing lifeboat door on the front gable would become a large feature window to serve the living area of the proposed accommodation.
“Roof lights would be added to the roof planes of the building to allow light into the proposed accommodation at this level.
“All other external changes to the building would be minimised. A small external patio area is proposed to the east elevation along with enlarged opening to an existing window to allow access.”
“Internally the ground floor would be raised slightly above slipway level to protect the property from coastal flooding.
“A second floor would be added to provide additional floorspace/accommodation making use of the current high floor to ceiling internal space within the building.
“The second floor would be accessed internally via a spiral staircase.”

By Dale Spridgeon – Local Democracy Reporter

%gallery%