Plans for a new commercial property budget hotel in the centre of Bath have been approved in a blow to campaigning small hotel owners.
Premier Inn plans for a 107-room hotel in James Street West have been certified by a Government-appointed planning inspector, who has ordered Bath and North East Somerset Council to pay the company’s cost in putting the proposal together, describing its objections to the development as unreasonable.
The £10 million Premier Inn hotel-which would create 50 jobs for the region and increase tourist trade to the town-has been recommended for approval by the council’s planning officers.
However councillors overruled them and refused permission, saying the hotel-which would not have its own car park-would cause noise nuisance for local residents and too much traffic disruption.
Christopher Millns, planning inspector, overruled the council’s arguments, saying the two other recently-approved hotels and several others in the city centre had no parking of their own, and that a traffic order may well be used to prevent guest using existing parking spaces in Kingsmead North.
He also said that the traffic created by a hotel would be lesser than that attracted by the current use of the site, which has been used as a carpet shop.
Mr Millns decision report says: “I am satisfied that the parking and servicing arrangements for the proposed hotel would not have a detrimental impact on highway safety or result in significant traffic congestion on Kingsmead North.”
The inspector felt that the council failed to back-up its reasons for the refusal with “realistic and specific evidence” and for that reason should pay all Premier Inn’s costs because of its “unreasonable behaviour resulting in unnecessary expense.”
Premier Inn said it was too early to forecast an opening date for the hotel, but that it would not be ready this year.
Director of the firm’s planning consultants MacMullen Associates, David MacMullen, said: “A new Premier Inn will bring investment and breathe new life into this part of the city. It’s great news for Bath.”
The approval of the scheme is a major setback for a campaign by small commercial property hotel owners and members of the council to restrict the growth of new budget hotels in Bath.
There is already planning permission for a 177-room hotel at Kingsmead House, further along James Street West, and a 190-room commercial property hotel at Green Park House in nearby Green Park Road, while Travelodge is eager to open a third Bath venue next to the Express by Holiday Inn in Lower Bristol Road.
In the meantime, hotel accommodation will be part of any new casino scheme permitted for the city with two proposals currently on the table, and work is about to resume on a luxury spa hotel in the old Gainsborough Building off Hotbath Street.
Mr Millns’s verdict threatens to turn a document commissioned by the council at a cost of £37,000 into a slideshow.
The visitor accommodation study found the city required no more than 376 new hotel rooms by 2016-but that the significant requirement was for accommodation at the higher end of the market.
Les Redwood, Chairman of the Bath Independent Guest House Association, said: “This is running out of control, and threatening the future quality development of our beautiful city, yet our council seems powerless to stop this process. We need a managed growth plan, not this developer-led free-for-all.”
The council, which had maintained at the inquiry that councillors’ understanding of the local situation should hold sway, said the study remained “a valid document.”
A spokesperson, expressed: “It will continue to be of use as it can be updated easily to take account of changing circumstances and will help inform the council’s view of further hotel development in the city.”
Councillors met separately last week to decide whether to grant a licence to the new commercial property hotel, which Premier wants to serve alcohol and food until 12.30am every day.
Commercial property Premier Inn is owned by Whitbread, which recently announced total sales growth of 11.4 per cent over the 13 weeks to December 2011.
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