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10 18/1876/FUL - Hobson House, 42-44 St Andrews Street PDF 200 KB
Minutes:
The Committee received an application for
full planning permission.
The application
sought approval for the change of use and refurbishment of the existing Grade
II listed office building (use Class B1(a) Offices to a 57 bed boutique hotel
(Use Class C1) and cafe/tea room (use Class A3), to include replacement of a
glazed screen on the St Andrew's street facade, the upgrading of the thermal
character of the glazed roof over the drill hall to create a central atrium, the
removal of the existing northern wing to create two floors above, a second
floor extension to the existing southern wing; together with partial demolition
and replacement new-building at the rear and associated works.
The Chairman
explained that he would exercise his discretion and consider agenda items 11
and 12 together however, would be voted on separately. Public speakers would therefore have 6
minutes in which to address the Committee.
The presenting
officer drew attention to the proposed amendments to the application set out
within the amendment sheet circulated in advance of the meeting.
Mr Justin Bainton (Applicant’s Agent)
addressed the Committee in support of the application.
A statement was
read out on behalf of Councillor John Hipkin (Castle Ward Councillor) in
support of the application which covered the following main areas:
i.
The proposed conversion was a fine example of how a
listed building could be adapted for a different purpose without compromising
its unique features.
ii.
The transport impact of the proposed development
would be minimal as the hotel was a short taxi journey from the rail station
and was located on major bus routes.
iii. There was a
distinct need for high quality hotel accommodation in the city centre.
iv. The hotel would
not serve regular restaurant food and would therefore support nearby cafés and
restaurants.
v. The application
would assist the Council in its aims to achieve more sustainable tourism for
the city.
The Committee:
Unanimously resolved to grant the application for planning
permission in accordance with the officer recommendation, for the reasons set
out in the officer report, and subject to the conditions recommended by the
officers.