Welsh countryside to host Nepali-themed heritage village as UK-based investors buy 22-room hotel

A company run largely by members of the Nepali community in Britain has bought a four-star hotel in mid-Wales as part of a long-term plan to build a Nepali cultural and tourist destination in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Nepali Village UK said it has acquired the 22-room Old Rectory Country Hotel in Llangattock, near Crickhowell, which it intends to reopen as "The Gorkha Darbar Hotel" from April 2027 after renovation. The purchase, reported by community outlet Nepali Link on 30 October, includes about 11 acres of land and a large event hall. This article relies on that report and the company's account of its plans; NepalUK has not independently verified the figures or seen planning documents.

What the company says it has bought

According to the report, £1.35 million has been invested in the property, with a further £350,000 set aside for maintenance. The report also states a total hotel project cost of around £2 million, though the listed amounts do not clearly add up to that figure, and the company has not clarified the difference publicly. Managing Director Major Khushiman Gurung, MVO, described the purchase as an important step towards making the wider project sustainable and commercially established. The team held a traditional puja and housewarming at the property.

The hotel is roughly eight miles from the project's main site at Talybont-on-Usk, where the company says it owns about 24 acres, bought around three years ago. The planned attractions include replicas of Lumbini, Sagarmatha, Dharahara, Pashupatinath and Boudhanath, a Gurkha soldier statue and 108 Dhara fountains, alongside Welsh local history. The company describes the aim as a hub for culture, research, weddings, meditation and education.

How it is funded

Nepali Village UK says it is funded through share sales. More than 500 shares have been sold, mostly to UK-based Nepali investors, with some Welsh residents and people in Nepal also taking part. It plans to sell 100 more by the end of December 2026. The main project is described as a £1.5 million venture, with £1.1 million spent on land and construction so far and a further £400,000 planned for the entrance, car park and other structures. The company says it has nine directors, with legal and financial advisers, some of them Welsh.

Planning approval for the main site is expected by December 2026, according to the company. That remains a company expectation rather than a confirmed decision, and the outcome will determine whether the visitor attractions can proceed.

Why it matters

Community-funded ventures of this scale are unusual among diaspora groups in Britain, and the project links Nepali heritage to the Welsh tourism economy. Investors in any share-based scheme should seek independent advice and read offer documents carefully, since community enthusiasm is not a substitute for due diligence. The company has scheduled a shareholder and investor gathering for 5 December 2026 at The Palace Hall in Aldershot, where share certificates are due to be distributed.