New lease of life for town centre Inns
Plas yn Dre, Bala has been a family run restaurant since 1990 but has undergone a transformation in 2017 with a complete re-vamp and the addition of 9 Guest Bedrooms, with support of £72,000 from the Tourism Investment Support Scheme.
The Grade II listed building is now fully open for Easter with a restaurant, lounge and bar area. The main works were to convert the upper 2 floors into the 9 en-suite bedrooms. Having opened the restaurant for the Mother’s Day in March, owner Sion Williams is delighted with the feedback to date and is looking forward to a busy season, he said:
“The finished article far exceeds our expectations and the customer feedback is unbelievable with rooms being sold out for much of the Easter weekend.”
The Erskine Arms in Conwy will open in May, following a redevelopment which will see the historic inn transformed to include a restaurant and 10 high quality rooms. The redevelopment of this traditional Georgian Coaching Inn has been supported by the Tourism Investment Support Scheme with £140,000 and will create 23 jobs.
The Erskine is owned by Stange & Co. Ltd who also own The Cottage Loaf and The Snowdon in Llandudno and The Glengower in Aberystwyth. Stange & Co. Ltd. is a family owned group of character pubs and inns independently run and focus on homemade hearty food on their menu along with local cask ales at the bar. There will be a strong emphasis on both local and seasonal produce throughout the menu.
Economy Secretary, Ken Skates, said:
“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support the redevelopment of these two traditional Inns. It’s fantastic that they’ve been given a new lease of life and transformed to become a very high quality product providing employment for the area. Both are also at the heart of the town in Bala and Conwy – which adds to the appeal and vibrancy of the towns. I wish both developments the very best for future success.”