A FORMER Grade II-Listed hotel in Monmouth will get a new lease of life as a restaurant.

The Angel Hotel on St Mary’s Street, which is believed to date from the 16th and 17th century, was used as a hotel until the 1980s.

It was then gutted and the ground and first floor of the building were used as a furniture showroom with storage and workshop facilities.

The second and third floor levels were used as manager’s accommodation and the building was extended to form a number of small enclosed courtyards.

The applicant’s architect Elliott Pardington said his clients have owned and operated Edwards of Monmouth premises and business since the 1980s with a local and national reputation for high-quality handmade furniture.

However, the preponderance of mass-produced furniture, combined with restricted opportunities for smaller businesses to offer credit facilities mean that the premises need to be put to a new use.

He said St Mary’s suffers from a lack of footfall, being outside of the true retail centre of Monmouth and that the difficulty and size of the property would make continued retail use very difficult for any trader and so a change of use must be considered.

The applicant wants to adapt the premises to create a restaurant and maintain the accommodation on the upper floors.

They also want to extend the existing rear goods entrance to provide a second entrance for the restaurant, direct from the Glendower Street Car Park.

The proposal includes a bar area, restaurant, kitchen and toilets.

The building is listed for its special architectural interest as a multi-period house of definite character in the town centre.

Initial consultation with planning officers found that it was considered unlikely that the proposed work would result in the loss of the historic fabric.

Monmouthshire council has granted listed consent.

The applicant said they plan to sell or lease the building to a restaurant operator.