Plans to redevelop a castle where a millionaire businessman strangled his girlfriend have taken a major step forward. Pencoed Castle in Llanmartin, near Newport, was the site where farmer turned property developer Peter Morgan murdered dancer and personal escort Georgina Symonds in 2016.
Morgan, who bought the imposing Tudor mansion and its 10 hectares of land and outbuildings in the early 2000s, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder and the Grade II* listed site remains derelict after years of failed redevelopment plans including a golf resort and a theme park. Pencoed Castle was sold at auction for £1.1m in September 2020 and there is currently planning permission to restore the castle, convert outbuildings to offices, and develop 12 new houses. The building's owners Corinthian Homes have now submitted major plans to restore the site to Newport City Council.
In planning documents the owners said they were "keen to progress the restoration of the listed buildings and the development of the new houses" and proposed changes to the site include repairing existing historic features including stone stairs, stonework, windows, roof, renewing rainwater goods, and making good doorways. The applicants say there are bat roost locations within the castle building and that permanent long-term roost provision is incorporated into the castle as part of its redevelopment. Work at the castle requires special consent due to its listed status.
