Homes plan for blaze-hit landmark hotel

A landmark hotel which was abandoned for three years after shutting down suddenly following a severe blaze will be turned into homes under new plans, it has been revealed.

The Mount Hotel in Clent was bought in December after standing empty since a fire ripped through the ground floor during a wedding reception in July 2008.

An application has now been made to convert the property into seven apartments and also build three detached houses nearby.

A report by developers Lodge Park Ltd says the ground and first floors of the building are badly damaged by fire and water following the blaze. The tallest part of the 15-room building, referred to as the "tower", will be kept, the report says, adding: "This was regarded as an important consideration at pre-application stage.

"The tower provides an important vertical emphasis and landmark within Clent and indeed benefits from enviable long distance views."

But the three-storey wings will be removed, while an extension will be built at the back of the site. In its heyday the hotel attracted tourists from across the country, especially walkers who were visiting the nearby Clent Hills. The hotel had been left with furniture inside and calendars from 2008 on the walls until it was recently cleared out and the windows boarded up.

It had become a magnet for vandals and locals were concerned the hotel would deteriorate, as birds started nesting in a hole in the roof.

Previous owner Edward Gibbs told the Express & Star last year that his £500,000 damage claim had been rejected by an insurance firm.