Plans to demolish former Conwy Council offices to make way for special needs centre take step forward

A brand new special needs respite centre is a step closer after a council invited tenders for the demolition of its former offices.

Conwy county council has invited offers to demolish four buildings at and next to its former offices at Bron y Nant on Dinerth Road, Rhos-on-Sea.

They were rendered redundant after staff were moved to the new Coed Pella office in Colwyn Bay.

Councillors passed plans for the new £3m respite centre on the site on January 8 this year.

Those proposals included the demolition of Cartref, Bron y Nant and Tan Lan buildings to make way for the centre.

It will replace Melverley, a three-bed semi-detached respite centre in Llanrwst, which is leased from a housing association.

The new split-level building will be purpose built with five apartments, staff accommodation, office, communal lounge and kitchen, accessible toilet and laundry room.

The site originally housed a hospital built in 1904 but was latterly used as a social services day centre and offices.

The 350 staff based at Dinerth Road vacated the buildings in 2018 to move to the purpose-built Coed Pella offices.

In June councillors passed plans to demolish the adjacent morgue building, several concrete garages and a greenhouse on the site of Bryn Euryn Nursery.

It has provided daily horticultural activities for people with learning disabilities for more than 30 years.

That will make way for a new café, shop and welfare facilities as part of the scheme.

The nursery in the exterior grounds will remain but, between demolition and the new buildings being built, the enterprise will move to the county’s Tan Lan nurseries in Llanelian.

During the work members of the public will still be able to purchase nursery produce at the interim site.

The demolition tender posted by Conwy county council on June 28 covers the pulling down of buildings related to both schemes.

Expressions of interest need to be registered on public procurement site Sell2Wales by August 20.

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter