Council leader hopes Royal Clarence can return to its former glory

Published: 6 August 2019

The Leader of the Council said he hopes the city's Royal Clarence Hotel will be back in use as soon as possible after it was revealed the site has been put up for sale.

In a statement Andrew Brownsword Hotels said selling the site at Cathedral Close was a "heartbreaking decision".

But the firm said the cost of rebuilding the hotel was prohibitive, and selling was "the only way to make the rebuild happen quickly and viably".

The hotel was gutted by a major fire on 28 October 2016.

Planning permission has since been granted to rebuild it.

Council leader Phil Bialyk said: “This is a very important building for Exeter - it is a landmark building. Planning permission is in place to rebuild it, and we would hope to see it returned to its former glory as soon as possible.”