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Cardiff's oldest hotels 'could be cut off on an island'

BBC HotelsBBC
The Royal Hotel's front entrance is on pedestrianised St Mary Street, but guests can also use the rear entrance on Westgate Street

Some of Cardiff's oldest hotels could be "cut off from guests" because of developments around them, their managers fear.

Built in the 1800s, The Royal and The Sandringham are on St Mary Street, which was pedestrianised in 2010.

Their bosses fear further road closures around them and the loss of car parks will leave the hotels "isolated".

Cardiff council wants to ease city centre congestion and cut pollution but said it will consult on final plans.

Car parking spaces have already been reduced with the demolition of the Wood Street site in 2017.

There will be further strain on remaining car parks when thousands of workers start at Central Square developments, such as a new HMRC tax office and BBC headquarters.

When a new transport interchange opens next door in 2019, there are also fears Westgate Street will become bus only.

This could leave guests at St Mary Street hotels - that also include ML Lodge and Mrs Potts - unable to drop off or park nearby.

Central Square
The new bus station is being built at the bottom of Westgate Street at Central Square

"We never supported pedestrianisation [of St Mary Street]," said manager of The Sandringham, Simon Dutton.

"I hoped it could be made a one-way street, with traffic travelling up Westgate Street the other.

"But now it looks like they both could be closed. If so, we will be gone [out of business] in 12 months."

Mr Dutton, whose family company also runs the ML Lodge on St Mary Street, added: "If you come to Cardiff as a tourist, where will you park? A long way out.

"What worries me - it has not been thought through.

"For it to work, all the links [such as buses and trams] have to be in place."

The Sandringham opened in the 1880s as The Black Lion - 20 years after The Royal.

The Royal's front entrance is on St Mary Street and manager Jon Swingler fears it being "cut off to guests on an island" if cars are stopped from driving down Westgate Street as well.

Jon Swingler
Manager of The Royal Jon Swingler fears his hotel could become cut off
St Mary Street
St Mary Street was closed to cars in 2010

The hotel's Scott Frankton estimated up to 50% of its 20,000 guests each year drive.

He called for a "huge multi-storey" behind central station to help stop it becoming "isolated".

Cardiff Business School's Prof Max Munday said: "In larger cities it is often the case that hotels either have very limited parking or none at all.

"Or indeed where there is parking it is very expensive."

However, he said it is "not easy to see a solution" if half of The Royal's guests drive.

Zero Degrees
Guests at The Royal Hotel once arrived by stage coach - with horses and carriages and then cars kept at a site that is now a micro brewery

The Angel, which opened in its present form in 1883, sits at the top of Westgate Street.

But it has a car park and is also accessible from Castle Street, with its manager declining to comment on potential changes at this stage.

A Cardiff council spokesman described Westgate Street as an "air quality management area" and said developments around it provided a chance to make improvements.

While he said there will be a public consultation before any decision is made, he added: "We also need to consider the flow of traffic around the city in light of the bus station opening, and the likely surge in public transport that the new South Wales Metro will bring."

The spokesman said the council wants to reduce reliance on cars and increase sustainable forms of travel.

But he admitted there is a need for businesses to receive deliveries and hotels to be accessible - with more car parking space set to be created when the Brains Brewery site is redeveloped.