Agenda item

Change of use to convert a 45 bedroom hotel to a 14 bedroom guest house hotel with owner's accommodation and 15 residential apartments – MEADS.

Planning committee had previously considered this proposal on 6 January 2015 for the change of use of the existing hotel at 14 Wilmington Gardens to 1 x 14 bedroom hotel with ancillary owners accommodation and 15 residential units. At this time the committee agreed that the application should be returned to members for consideration following the receipt of viability evidence from the district valuer.

Following the January 2015 committee meeting the applicant subsequently appealed against non-determination under Section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act. This appeal was considered and decided in the course of 2015. In the absence of a response from the district valuer, the Council took advice from BPS Chartered Surveyors, which generally supported the applicants’ position that the hotel accommodation was not viable in its existing form.

In considering the non-determination appeal the Inspector found that the applicant had successfully demonstrated in its own evidence that in light of site specific issues the existing hotel accommodation was not viable as a going concern, and as such a conversion of the premises to a partial hotel use and partial residential use fulfilled the requirements of Policy TO1 and TO2 of the Eastbourne Borough Local Plan. The Inspector also made an award of costs against the Council, finding that it had acted unreasonably in defending the appeal in light of the viability evidence put before the Inspector.

The policy context and planning history were assessed in the previous committee report, attached as annex 1 of the report.

The committee was advised that a statement from the Eastbourne Hospitality Association (EHA) had been received and was summarised as follows:

As with the first application EHA fully supported this proposal.  Since the first application all of the substantive issues had been assessed by the appeal inspector and had been ratified by the Council’s hotel survey and seafront strategy. The scheme would have a beneficial impact upon the conservation area and also provided the type of accommodation needed by delegates visiting the proposed new conference facilities at Devonshire Park. 

Mr Weir, Chairman of the Eastbourne Hotel Association addressed the committee stating that there was a need for this type of accommodation in Eastbourne, as there were currently too many bed spaces resulting in low room rates, which did not support the tourism economy in Eastbourne.

RESOLVED: (By 1 vote with 7 abstentions) That permission be granted subject to the completion of a section 106 agreement securing the following measures:

·         An affordable housing contribution of £35,656

·         A household waste and recycling facilities contribution of £345

·         Agreement that the half of the residential units will not be occupied until completion of the hotel element of the scheme.

And conditions as follows: 1) You must apply to us for approval of how waste and recycling is to be stored on site in the final development. You must not start work on the relevant part of the development until we have approved what you have sent us. You must then provide the stores for waste and materials for recycling according to these details, clearly mark the stores and make them available at all times to everyone using the proposed development 2) You must provide the parking spaces shown in accordance with the layout shown on plan number 795201/15/07 rev A B. The parking spaces shown may only be used by residents and visitors to the approved accommodation and may not be used for any other purpose 3) You must provide the car parking spaces shown on drawing number 795201/15/07 rev A B prior to the first occupation of the hotel and tourist accommodation use hereby approved by this permission 4) You must provide details of refurbishment measures to the hotel/guesthouse element of the scheme submitted to the local planning authority for the approval of the local planning authority. These details should include:

- details of redecorations and internal fixtures and fittings (to include including bathing and sanitary ware)

- details of the new stair access

5) You must not start work on any part of the refurbished hotel/guest-house until we have approved what you have submitted, and you must implement this permission in accordance with details approved under the terms of this condition No 4 6) You must provide details of secure cycle parking to be approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  These facilities shall be fully implemented and made available for use prior to the occupation of the development hereby permitted and shall thereafter be retained for use at all times. You must not start work on the relevant part of this development until we have approved what you have sent us 7) The lower ground floor flat of the guesthouse accommodation shown as residential accommodation on the approved plans must only be used by staff of the guesthouse hereby approved and must not be used as a self-contained residential unit in its own right 8) You must implement this planning permission in accordance with the following drawings approved as part of this application:

795201/14/07 amendment A B (site location plan)

795201/EXG01     795291/EXG02     795201/EXG03

795201/EXG04     795201/EXG05     795201/EXG06

795201/EXG07     795201/EXG09     795201/EZG10

795201/C/01 rev B                  795201/C/02 rev B

795201/C/03        795201/C/04        795201/C/05

          795201/C/06        795201/C/07        795201/C/08