Plans for three dwellings at the site of a former nursing home in Cushendun have been submitted to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
The recently-submitted planning application seeks permission to convert the vacant Glendun Nursing Home and list building, at 16 Strandview Park, to a four-bedroom dwelling.
The application also seeks permission for the erection of two semi-detached, four-bedroom dwellings to rear of the home, which is also known as the Glendun Hotel.
In an accompanying Design and Access Statement, agents Mark Todd Architects, said the home sits by the mouth of the Glendun River and is bound by Strandview Park to the north, Cave Road to the south, Bay Apartments to the east, and The Cushendun Hotel to the west.
Back of Former Glendun Nursing Home, No. 16 Strandview Park, Cushendun.
Block plan for proposed development in Cushendun, County Antrim.
“Cushendun is located within a Conservation Area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB),” the statement said.
“The buildings that were to become the Cushendun Hotel and the adjacent Glendun Hotel were built around 1860 by Benjamin Maxwell, on behalf of Nicholas Andrew De la Cherois Crommelin, who developed an industrial mill complex there.
“The Glendun Hotel (Building A) was bought by the Elliot family in 1927 and closed in 1978, to become the Glendun Nursing Home which closed in 1999. It has remained derelict ever since.”
Proposed frontage for 16 Strandview Park in Cushendun.
The design proposals includes a single four-bedroom dwelling at the front of the Glendun Hotel.
“The Glendun building will be whitewashed, featuring white timber-framed windows and a slate roof, and additions will echo the symmetry, rhythm and proportions of the Bay Road Maud Cottages, creating a sense of connection and familiarity between the two.
“Although two dwellings are new, they will maintain the traditional aesthetic of Cushendun with whitewashed exteriors, white timber windows, and slate pitched roofs.”
Proposed elevations of front and rear buildings
DELVE DEEPER
• Strandview Park site development history
The buildings that were to become the Cushendun Hotel and the adjacent Glendun Hotel were built around 1860 by Benjamin Maxwell, on behalf of Nicholas Andrew De la Cherois Crommelin, who developed an industrial mill complex there. They comprised a scutch mill, spinning mill, starch works, corn store, rope works and com warehouses. Many of these buildings were subsequently demolished or destroyed by fire.
Figure 1 shows a front view of the mill complex in the early 20th century. The building indicated 'A' ultimately becomes the Glendun Hotel and building indicated 'B' becomes the Cushendun Hotel shown in Figure 2 (circa 1930) as 'A' and 'B' respectively.
Fig. 1: Front view of the mill complex in the early 20th century.
Fig. 2: Glendun Hotel, The Cushendun Hotel and The Bay Hotel (circa 1930)
The Glendun Hotel had, at some point around 1930, been extended to the east and the Cushendun extended to the west.
The Glendun Hotel (Building A) was bought by the Elliot family in 1927 and the adjoining building was re-developed by Mary McBride to become the Cushendun Hotel (Building B).
Elliot was a builder/developer and constructed additional hotel buildings to the rear of the Glendun Hotel (Buildings D) a few years later.
Around the same time Elliot built the Bay Café (Building C) and this ultimately became the Bay Hotel.
All that remains of Elliot's construction works on Strandview Park is a central concrete balcony between two crenelated bays at the front of the Glendun.
The fashionable architectural style during this period was Art Deco (as in the Bay Cafe) but it remains unclear what Elliot had in mind when he added the bays and the balcony to the Glendun.
The style of the 1930s frontage to the Glendun that remains today is probably best described as 'faux', defined as follows:
"A type of architectural feature that is designed to appear similar to real architecture, yet is made of artificial materials. It is used as a decorative addition to a space or building and often tries to mimic the look of traditional or classical architecture".
Fig. 3: Deterioration of 1930s Concrete
The balcony features a standard, 'builder's yard' pre-formed concrete balustrade. The crenellated bays are formed from concrete block work reinforced with steel which has considerably corroded, currently rendering them unstable, of exceptionally poor quality and at risk of collapse (Figure 3).
Elliot's buildings to the rear of the Glendun (Buildings D) were partly destroyed by fire around 1940 and the remainder demolished, again to make room for the Bay Apartments (Buildings E). Again, all that remains of Elliot's 1927 construction works is the faux frontage to the Glendun.
Fig. 4: Glendun Hotel, The Cushendun Hotel and The Bay Hotel (circa 1930s)
Fig. 5: Glendun Hotel, The Cushendun Hotel and The Bay Hotel (2023)
The Glendun Hotel closed in 1978 and was renovated to become the Glendun Nursing Home which closed in 1999. It has remained derelict ever since.
The Glendun and Cushendun Hotels were added to the NI Listed Buildings Database in 1980. While no official listing description is provided, it is likely they were included due to their partial origins in the 1860 industrial mill complex (Figure 1).
The original red rubble sandstone walls used in the mill's construction, still form part of the Strandview Park buildings we see today. However, over time, these walls have been significantly reduced by various additions and modifications using 20th-century materials such as blockwork, brickwork, and reinforced concrete.
The Bay Hotel (C) closed around 1998 and was subsequently demolished to make away for the Bay Apartments (E). Consent to demolish the Bay Hotel and the accommodation wing and internal structures of Glendun Nursing Home (D) was granted in April 2000.
The Glendun, the only remaining building on the site, holds a Grade B1 listing that has fallen into significant disrepair, leading to its inclusion on the Heritage at Risk Register (HARNI) in 2004. The register describes it as being in "poor condition" and at a "high degree of risk."
The most critical of risks to the building stem from 1930s additions, which have introduced structural defects and water ingress due to the use of substandard building materials and poor detailing, particularly in the faux ornate frontage with crenellated bays, columns, and balcony. Of particular concern is the concrete composition and poorly positioned steel reinforcement within the balcony columns, leading to corrosion and subsequent concrete failure in the saline environment.
In summary, the 1930s concrete frontage is a later addition to the main building and is made with poor materials and presents a disjointed collection of faux architectural elements, lacking any cohesive style. Other 1930s buildings at the rear, featuring similar crenellated bays, were approved for demolition in 2000, further highlighting their low architectural significance.
According to the Planning Report the primary reason for the building's Grade B1 listing appears to be the use of local red sandstone in the main external walls, originally from Benjamin Maxwell's 1860s industrial mill buildings. However, as previously mentioned, extensive 1930s alterations throughout the perimeter of the building have fragmented much of the original rubble sandstone walls in question.
The interior layout of the building is also of low architectural significance, as evidenced by approved reconfiguration proposals in 2000 and 2008 for conversion into a restaurant and apartments respectfully.
Any remaining interior fabric has been documented as dating from the 1980s and 1990s - they include materials like gypsum plasterboard walls, timber studs, faux wood plywood veneer paneling, aluminium radiators, fluorescent tube lighting, vinyl and carpet.
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