A building with "historic local importance" could be demolished under controversial plans. A planning application has been submitted by I&S Gorvett and Castell Group which proposes to turn Eagle House on Talbot Road, Port Talbot, into flats.
Situated between the newly-renovated Grade II-listed Plaza Cinema and the Grand Hotel which dates back to the 1900s, Eagle House predates its long-standing neighbours and is cherished by many in the local community. Castell Group have submitted a proposal to demolish the existing building and replace it with 18 upper-floor flats and ground floor office or commercial units. They have stated that the existing building is unsuitable for housing developments as only four apartments could be built within it.
In a planning committee meeting on August 9, Chris Davies, a representative for Neath Port Talbot council, said that although Eagle House is a building of local importance, the proposed flats are needed in the area due to the high-demand for housing in Port Talbot with 1,295 households on waiting lists. Mr Davies said: "The proposed development, in terms of providing much needed residential development within the area outweigh the loss of the building of local importance." You can read more stories about Port Talbot here.
Read more: First look inside transformed Plaza cinema in Port Talbot
Port Talbot Councillor Saifur Rahaman responded that although he is "fully aware of the housing needs" of the area, demolishing the building would be a loss for the local community. Cllr Rahaman said: "Port Talbot as a town has lost many significant heritage buildings. Eagle House predates the construction of Station Road and Talbot Road and it is one of the oldest commercial buildings remaining in Port Talbot since the 1876 map survey was carried out."
"The recent refurbishment of the Grade II-listed Plaza building has shown us how respecting our heritage can be an important part of our local community. Our history and our heritage defines us as a community and who we are. The application acknowledges that the existing building is not suitable for the required unit to be built. This does not justify the demolition of such a building."
Although Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust have no objection to the development and have simply requested that the building is recorded before its demolition, many Port Talbot residents and councillors would rather hold onto this piece of the town's history than gain another block of flats. There are concerns from local residents that Port Talbot will lose its identity if buildings like Eagle House are destroyed and Councillor Sean Pursey has researched into the history of the building in a bid to save it from demolition.
In his blog 'Old Port Talbot', Cllr Pursey writes that Eagle House dates back to the 1850s when local stonemason Rees Roderick, who worked for the Talbot family on their Margam Estate, rented the land opposite Port Talbot station and built a shed on the site. At this time, there were very few buildings in the area and the station had only recently been built.
By the 1870s, many more people were using the train station and Mr Roderick turned the building into a beer house, naming it the 'Eagle Inn'. In the decades that followed, the site has been under different owners as a hotel, pub, coffee house and offices and was even once the headquarters of an Air Training Corps squadron with notable members such as Hollywood actor Richard Burton.
The demolition of the building has been deferred in order to review the historical significance of the building and Cllr Pursey has called for anyone with photographs, information or memories of Eagle House to come forward to help piece together stories of a building which until now, has stood the test of time.
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