Goodrich Hotel

The site of a hotel which once hosted stars from Meatloaf to Des O’Connor has been given a new lease of life.

The Goodrich Hotel on Van Road in Caerphilly was one of the hotels used by entertainers playing at the famous Double Diamond club in the town.

But after a lack of trade led the hotel to close in the early 21^st Century it had fallen into a state of disrepair.

Caerphilly-based housing association United Welsh along with Caerphilly County Borough Council thought that with its great proximity to the town centre and excellent transport links with both the train station and bus stops in easy walking distance it would make an ideal development for affordable homes.

And now the 12 homes have been officially opened with a visit from the Deputy Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council Cllr Barbara Jones, Cllr Lisa Phipps, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Homes and Places, and Mrs Fay Gay who lived and worked as a cook at the Goodrich for 18 years.

Mrs Gay along with Cllr Jones, Cllr Phipps and representatives from United Welsh paid a visit to some of the new tenants to wish them well in their new homes.

Mrs Gay, aged 84 from Rudry said, “I was delighted to be asked to help officially open the new flats on the site of the Goodrich Hotel. I had more than 30 happy years working there cooking meals and playing host to stars like Meatloaf and Des O’Connor.

“It was sad when it had to close but it’s great to see the site being brought back into use, the apartments are lovely and it’s so interesting to see how the place has been transformed.”

The £1m development was partly funded by the Welsh Government and the Smaller Properties Programme.

Cllr Lisa Phipps, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Homes and Places, said “The Goodrich Hotel will hold fond memories for many and it’s wonderful to see what had become a derelict building transformed into much needed homes for local people.  Delivering high quality affordable housing is a key priority for the council and our partnership with United Welsh, and other housing associations, is vital in helping us achieve this.”

Group Chief Executive of United Welsh Lynda Sagona added, “It was lovely to be able to show Mrs Gay around the new apartments and explain what we’ve done with the sites.

“This is a great example of working in partnership with the local authority to provide much needed high quality affordable homes for Caerphilly.