One of Swansea's best known hotels is set to receive a very different look - following a growing trend around the city centre.
The Dragon Hotel, which can be found along The Kingsway, could soon have a new eco-friendly appearance, with proposals, which are still in their initial stages, for an eye-catching green wall to its exterior and the replacement of existing windows on three facades of the building.
If given the go-ahead by city planners, it would be the latest in a series of similar schemes in the city centre, including the Potters Wheel building, which recently got a bio-diverse new look, with a "living green wall" incorporated onto several areas of the new design.
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Noel Isherwood Architects and the Green Infrastructure Consultancy has prepared a proposal on behalf of Swansea Council and the Nine Group for the transformation of the hotel's look, which has been submitted on a pre-planning application basis to the council's planning department.
Planning documents read: "The Dragon Hotel is a significant landmark building with over 100 hotel rooms in central Swansea. The proposal is to improve the building and to take this opportunity to replace the existing windows, which do not meet current standards.
"The implementation of green walls on the facades of the hotel will contribute to the overall plans for greening the central Swansea area. The objective is to improve the visual quality and ‘public face’ of this important central building, in order to have a wide range of positive impacts on residents, workers and visitors alike."
It adds: "The building suffers from not having had a complete refurbishment since the time it was built, giving it a dated look, and it is now out of place with the new developments that have taken place in proximity to the site in recent years.
"The re-cladding of the ground and first floors has helped to give the building a more contemporary feel at the lower levels and the terracotta tiles have introduced a strong colour theme. To date, however, the upper part of the building has been neglected."
Back in December, 2021, the hotel closed its doors to the public with little to no warning and even less fanfare.
Rumours then began to surface about what was happening at the site, after the hotel apparently then began cancelling bookings, and there were false reports of staff being laid off. One of the main theories was that the Home Office had earmarked the hotel to house asylum seekers, but this claim was was then quashed by Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart.
It was stated, however, that the hotel had a contract with the Home Office, the nature of which was not disclosed.
Currently, bookings for the hotel are unavailable both on its website, and through third party sites such as booking.com.
But towards the end of last month a spokesperson for The Dragon Hotel confirmed to WalesOnline that the hotel was shut for refurbishment and was set to re-open and accept bookings from April 1 onwards.
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