Agenda item

Redevelopment of the site for a 250-bed hotel (Use Class C1) and multi-storey car park, including landscaping, plant and associated works.

Recommendation: Approve + Sec 106

RESOLVED: That the application be approved subject to the addendum and amended conditions.

Redevelopment of the site for a 250-bed hotel (Use Class C1) and multi-storey car park, including landscaping, plant and associated works.

Officers introduced the report and highlighted the addendum. The application sought planning permission for a new 250 bedroom, 4 storey hotel and multi-storey car park behind a 623 bed hotel building currently under construction on the northern side of the A4 Bath Road opposite London Heathrow Airport, within the Heathrow/A4 Industrial Business Area (IBA). The hotel building being constructed would be divided to provide two separate hotels with different operators, although sharing back of house facilities. The proposed new hotel would be the third one on the site and the multi-storey car park behind it would serve all three facilities. The new hotel would be sited on a large part of the proposed surface car park that would have served the 623 bed hotel. Members were informed that, overall, 438 spaces would serve the three hotels, which represented an up-lift of 84 spaces on site, with the overall parking radio reducing from 0.57 to 0.5 spaces per bedroom. The Committee was advised that the items in the addendum would appear within the legal agreement not as conditions.

The Committee enquired as to the height of the business units adjacent to the site and commented that the proximity of the site to the green belt and to other nearby developments should be taken into consideration. It was confirmed that the proposed hotel development would be five storeys high at the front of the development reducing to four storeys at the rear; this would not significantly exceed the height of the other existing units in the area. However, Members expressed concern that the proposed development could appear incongruous and not be comparable in size to the surrounding units. It was agreed that powers be delegated to the Head of Planning to draft a bespoke levels condition to avoid any anomaly; this would include a requirement for the heights of adjacent units to be established. 

Members sought clarification regarding the Car Park Management Plan as detailed on page 36 of the agenda and commented that the original parking plan had provided more screening. Councillors were advised that, although the revised plan currently incorporated less screening, it was anticipated that there would be improvements in planting in the future.

At the request of the Committee, it was agreed that informative 8 on page 17 relating to English Oak trees should be imposed on both item 6 and item 7 of the agenda. A new building materials condition was also recommended. Authority was delegated to the Head of Planning to ensure this.

It was suggested that Condition 7 on page 36 of the agenda be split into two separate conditions - one relating to the management strategy and one relating to the future review mechanism. This amendment would be delegated to the Head of Planning.

Following the discussion, the officer's recommendation was moved, seconded and, when put to a vote, unanimously agreed subject to the addendum and the agreed amendments.

RESOLVED That:

1.    the application be approved subject to the addendum;

2.    authority be delegated to the Head of Planning to amend the conditions relating to building levels and materials;

3.    authority be delegated to the Head of Planning to split Condition 7 into two separate conditions as discussed;

4.    authority be delegated to the Head of Planning to include informative 8 (as detailed in agenda item 6) within the terms of agenda item 7.