PLANS to turn Pembroke Dock’s Cleddau Bridge Hotel, which closed at the beginning of the year with 40 jobs lost, to a care home have been submitted to the county council.

The hotel closure on January 2, came as a shock to staff, many of who have worked at the hotel for up to a decade, as they only were told the shocking news at a December 27 meeting.

At the time, the hotel's owners, Kullar Hotel Group, blamed a fall off in tourism and a fall in trade after the closure of the Murco oil refinery.

They have previously denied any plans to turn the site in to a care home.

"This has been a very difficult decision but a drop in tourism coupled with a loss of trade following the closure of the refinery have created extremely tough trading conditions for us and, despite every effort, we are simply unable to operate as a profitable business."

Following that, staff at the hotel said they were requesting more information from the hotel's owners, Kullar Hotel Group, about cash they say they are owed.

To date, it is claimed they have received no recompense.

In early January local Labour county councillor Josh Beynon told the Western Telegraph: "The former workers at the Cleddau Bridge Hotel deserve more than the way they have been treated by the Kullar family.

"Staff have received no written communication regarding the closure of the hotel or the loss of their jobs.

"This is completely unacceptable.

"Staff are owed redundancy pay, holiday pay and pay in lieu which they are now fighting to get hold of.

"I have met with the owners of the hotel this morning (Friday) and they have informed me that their intentions are to turn the building into a residential care home.”

Owner Raj Kullar refuted the care home proposal, saying the idea was only a suggestion made during a meeting with Cllr Beynon.

Since then, an application has been submitted this week to Pembrokeshire County Council by applicant John Smith for a change of use to a 48-bedroom care home.

No address is given for the applicant, other than care off the Swansea-based Asbri Planning agent.

Speaking about the application, local county councillor Joshua Beynon said: “The Kullar family have finally revealed (as they did to me back in January but subsequently denied) that they do intend on turning the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel into a care home.

“After meeting with the owners just after Christmas of last year I was told that they would do their best to help the former staff. This is not the case as the former staff of the Cleddau Bridge Hotel have still not received any help or compensation from the owners almost three months later after only being given a mere six days’ notice.

“Whilst I do not wish to see the building empty, I do not want to see an employer that treats its staff like second class citizens.”

Owner Raj Kullar was listed as director up to September 2014, only to be replaced by Jasjit Singh Kullar, Sukhjit Singh Kullar, and later by his wife, Manjit Kaur Kullar.

As well as staff concerns about receiving all money owed, concerns have been raised locally from businesses owed money by the owners, with a Facebook page KFmoneyowed set up.

Following the closure of the Cleddau Bridge Hotel, in February, Swansea-based insolvency practitioners Stones & Co received instructions from director Manjit Kaur Kullar to assist in placing the company into creditors’ voluntary liquidation.

Company creditors listed include £25,000 to Pembrokeshire County Council, £9,116.72 to Haverfordwest-based Thomson Laundry Ltd, £5,400 to Welsh Water Dwr Cymru, and more than £36,000 to HM Revenue & Customs through unpaid VAT, PAYE and national insurance contributions.

No details of any change of ownership of the hotel have been received by the Western Telegraph.