 The hotel has been boarded up since last December |
A hotel which was stormed during a Chartist uprising in the 19th Century is to close. The Trewythen Arms Hotel at Llanidloes was stormed in 1839 by pioneers for the rights of ordinary working people.
Now Ian Naismith, the owner of the historic hotel, is planning to turn it into a guest house after Montgomeryshire planners agreed to support his application.
 |  The town council objected to this proposal because they want to see the hotel stay open, but did nothing to support me when it was open  |
Councillors in Llanidloes claim the decision will further cent the area's economy, hit hard by the loss of 250 jobs with the closure of the main employer - the KTH factory - in September.
Mr Naismith boarded up the Trewythen Arms last December after a long-running dispute about noise levels at the nightclub he owns adjoining it.
Bitter
"No one from the town council ever got in touch with me to try and sort the problem out," said Mr Naismith, who has moved to York.
"So I've been left with no option but to turn the hotel into a guest house and flats.
"The town council objected to this proposal because they want to see the hotel stay open, but did nothing to support me when it was open.
Mr Naismith said he was full of enthusiasm when he took over the hotel eight years ago.
"But now I am very bitter by the lack of support I've had in trying to provide entertainment for the young people of the town."
 Mayor, Edward Breeze said the town council wanted the hotel to stay open |
Llanidloes mayor Edward Breeze said: " We'd rather the Trewythen was a hotel rather than a guest house, but I suppose anything is better than seeing it boarded up."
Town councillor Lady Hooson said the hotel's closure would have an effect because it was the only venue there big enough to cater for large functions such as weddings.
Montgomeryshire planning committee has approved Mr Naismith's application to turn the Grade II listed building into a seven-bedroom guest house, as well as build 12 flats on the site.
Historic monuments body Cadw must now give its approval for the conversion.
The Trewythen Arms was built around 1770 and became an inn in 1834.
In April 1839 it was at the centre of a Chartist uprising and police were brought in from London to quash the revolt.
The centre of the Chartist rebellion in Wales was Newport where protesters were brutally suppressed by troops.
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