A decision over controversial plans to change a well-known Aberaeron hotel’s function room into a supermarket should be made next week.

An application to convert the function room of the Feathers Royal Hotel into a supermarket was rejected by county planners in May.

An appeal was lodged by the owner, and the result should be known by next week, town councillors have been told.

Cardiff-based property developer Lawrence Dovey, of Doublet Holdings, who bought the Alban Square property last year, had pledged to try to operate the site as a commercially-viable business which would create local jobs.

But the partial change of use application has drawn widespread local opposition.

County councillor Elizabeth Evans, who attended a site meeting said: “I was impressed by the inspector’s impartiality and he had clearly gone to the trouble of taking all objections on board.

“We should know by 28 November whether the appeal has been thrown out or upheld.”

Aberaeron town councillors have previously stated that a change of use of the function room would ‘negatively impact’ on the accommodation offer in Aberaeron from a tourism perspective.

They also claimed the plans would be the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for the Alban Square site.

See this week’s South Ceredigion paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now