A magnificent listed building that has been disused for four decades continues to be left to rot. The historic Marine building, which overlooks the car park at Penarth Marina and adjoins The Old Custom House restaurant, has been boarded up and dilapidated for as long as many can remember.
Once a trendy Victorian hotel – completed in a French renaissance style with pavilion roof towers and ornamental iron balconies – the building has since been haunted by difficulties in securing funding to preserve its future. The Grade II-listed three-storey building was previously used as apartments and offices but has been vacant since the early 1980s. It has gradually deteriorated, suffering from fire and water damage over the decades.
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In 2001 the late Cardiff restaurateur Martin Martinez acquired the adjoining Old Custom House restaurant, which opened in June that year. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.
In 2015 the family submitted restoration plans worth £6m the Vale of Glamorgan Council in a bid to transform the empty Marine building. The aim was to create a boutique hotel complete with 55 four-star rooms and a 100-seater cafeteria-wine bar overlooking the marina.
It was hoped the development would be complete in 2018 and would employ 50 staff members. However planning permission expired in 2017 due to a lack of funding, which was sought from the council. Speaking to WalesOnline in January 2023 Martin’s son Tanny Martinez said “nothing has progressed” since.
Despite this he said he was still optimistic that he could work with the council to secure funding to develop the building in the future. A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesman said at the time the local authority was “keen to get the building back into use” and officers had been working with the owners towards that aim. However nearly two years on the 160-year-old building remains in the same sorry state.
As of December 2024 it has been up for sale on the EJ Hales website for the last four years with “little interest” in it so far, a staff member told WalesOnline. Its current price is listed as £2,250,000.
Speaking to WalesOnline in December 2024 Mr Martinez confirmed “nothing has changed” since he spoke to us two years ago. He added: “Nothing at all. Unfortunately it has been all quiet on the western front. It’s fine for me – I have plenty more things to do.”
Despite numerous attempts by WalesOnline to contact Vale of Glamorgan Council no statement has been received. The Marine building is currently featured on the Save Britain’s Heritage website. Liz Fuller, buildings at risk officer, told WalesOnline the charity is trying to raise the building’s profile because it is “incredibly important and worthwhile”.
She said: “Even in its currently dilapidated state Penarth’s Marine Buildings has unmistakable architectural elegance and drama. At a glance it tells you so much about the area’s long history of attracting visitors to this place of beauty.
“Loved by Victorian holidaymakers it is now again a popular destination. This makes pursuing its redevelopment and preserving as much as possible of the original building incredibly important and worthwhile.
“Buildings of this history, quality, and design give places identity and interest for both locals and visitors alike. Their sensitive and imaginative rescue has the potential to spark exponential benefits, restoring to use an important element of the community’s history and bringing new visitors and new revenue to the area.”