Case Study : 31 Bed Hotel

CHALLENGES

The site consisted of a dilapidated public house which had stood vacant for over a decade. Our client wished to turn the site into a four storey, 31-bed, 3* hotel, with an associated service area and basement level parking.

In order to facilitate this conversion, we not only needed to apply for a change of use, but also secure permissions for the extension and alterations to the site.

The planning history flagged that a previous attempt to obtain permissions to extend had been refused over concerns of massing, bulk and scale and the impact on neighbouring amenity.

SOLUTION

Our planning consultants actively engaged in significant pre-application discussions with planning officers and ensured that their comments fed directly into the evolving plans for the site.

We identified how the site met the requirements of sustainable development as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and justified how the proposed scheme would provide an economic role; a social role and an environmental role.

An economic role: The proposed scheme would create approximately 17 new jobs as well as indirect job creation.

A social role: The pub had sat empty for over a decade. The proposed re-design of the building to accommodate the scheme, by architecture firm Buchanan Partnership, would represent a high quality and positive development on site. Discussions with the planning officers fed into the design, ensuring that there would be no negative impact on neighbouring amenity.

An environmental role: The site was in an eminently sustainable location, situated just 300m away from the London City Airport Terminal building, as well as having regular public transport services to the City and Stratford International. The basement would also provide off street parking and a secure bicycle store.

We worked closely with the planning officers to overcome any constraints or concerns that were raised and we were delighted that the scheme received unanimous approval at committee. This positive and demonstrably sustainable scheme will help to diversify the hotel offer in the London City Airport area and help to revitalise a vacant and dilapidated site.

Image Source: Buchanan Partnership 2015