Holiday apartments plan for medieval Caernarfon towers gets go-ahead

A plan to transform medieval towers in Caernarfon into holiday apartments has been given the go-ahead.

The 13th century Porth Mawr was one of the main entrances to historic Caernarfon.

It once housed the Royal Exchequer for the area and then a town hall and a theatre before becoming derelict.

Back in January heritage body Cadw submitted a scheme to turn the towers into five star holiday apartments, an “interpretation space” and to provide access to the town’s historic walls.

It drew mixed reactions locally with some voicing concerns about placing flats in the landmark towers.

But Gwynedd council have now given the project the green light.

Cadw believes the project will help to regenerate the town.

Planning agent Donald Insall Associates said: “Cadw, the current owners, are now looking to rejuvenate this building and its surrounding area by finding a new and sustainable use for it as well as also providing public access to the town walls via Porth Mawr.

“The presented scheme proposes to develop the currently derelict building into two five star holiday apartments with access to a private roof terrace in the south tower and an interpretation space in the north tower, providing access to the walls as an extension of the Caernarfon Castle offer to visitors.”