Original features key for Bella Luce restoration

The boutique hotel shut in 2022 after the site was sold for more than £2.5m.

Redevelopment work to create a new hotel complex has seen the majority of the site cleared, while the granite longhouse, which is more than 350 years old, has been taken back to its bones. It is planned to replace the former tile roof with thatch, which would have been the historic roofing material.

But as work has progressed it has been found that the building is a patchwork of historic and modern methods, and a revised planning application has been made. It is proposed that the top gable ends are taken down to wall plate level to help with thatching and then replaced, and that both chimneys are rebuilt within the thatch.

A common issue with old granite walls is that cement had been used to repoint them, which can lead to damp problems. The application proposes removing all the cement repointing and other recently-added details and replacing them with traditional lime.

‘Essentially all modern materials and attachments will be removed and create a stunning two-storey open interior with thatch roof and internally exposed features,’ said planning agent James Le Gallez in the application.

‘Here, we are putting the original building back in an original form and removing all modern materials and elements which detract from the Conservation Area, while retaining all definitive roadside walls and boundaries, combined with a very high quality design to enhance architectural quality and restore historic appearance.’

The site developer Green Giant Ltd has said it is aiming to create a world-class hotel, spa, and restaurant on the St Martin’s site.