A seven-storey, 117 bed hotel in Cliftonville has been granted planning permission by Thanet council.
Guy Hollaway Architects submitted the application for the multi-coloured hotel on the corner of Ethelbert Crescent in Cliftonville last August.
The building, proposed for Hosers Corner, will have a unique multi-colour metal façade, which the architects say “ reflects the famous Margate deck chair and plays on the regeneration of tourism and culture that is being seen throughout this eclectic seaside town.”
The hotel is expected to cater to the rise of artists moving into the town attracted by the rejuvenation of Dreamland, Turner Contemporary and the new Carl Freedman gallery and Tracey Emin studios earmarked for the former Thanet Press building in Union Crescent.
Customers of the hotel, designed by Guy Hollaway Architects on behalf of Beechworth Properties Ltd,will be encouraged to travel to the venue by public transport.
The site will have no customer parking spaces – apart from two disabled bays -although there will be 16 cycle spaces.
The plans, exclusively revealed by The Isle of Thanet News last year, show the intention to instead suggest “alternative modes of transport.” Guests who choose to drive will be directed to Margate car parks and off-street parking.
Proposals also include drop-off bays on the southern side of Ethelbert Crescent with space for four vehicles.
In a transport brief forming part of the planning application to Thanet council, the architects say: “Customers of the hotel will be informed at the time of booking that no customer parking is available, with information provided on local public car parks and alternative modes of transport.
“Additionally, the provision of three loading / unloading spaces at the site will allow visitors to set down their luggage at the hotel prior to locating a public car parking space.
“The take up of on-street spaces associated with the hotel use is likely to be low, however, there is spare capacity available within a short walk distance should a guest not take up a public car parking space. It is therefore not considered that the proposals will have a significant or ‘severe’ impact on the local highway network.”
Guy Hollaway Architects say: “The proposal for the Hosers Corner site responds to the increased demand for hotel rooms, which has been identified since the opening of the Turner Contemporary and the recent rejuvenation of Dreamland, both of which have given Margate a new sense of place and identity in the midst of the town’s revival, and have raised visitor numbers.”
They say the hotel, which has been reduced from the original 8 storey proposal, will have 6 wheelchair accessible rooms and a restaurant on the ground floor.
However, the application proposes the creation of just 15 jobs, with five of those part-time, for hotel staff.
Rendezvous plan
The architects had in 2013 been appointed by Kent County Council for a plan to create a 60-bed ‘destination’ hotel and restaurant with multi-coloured shutters on the seafront at the Rendezvous site by Turner Contemporary but this did not come to fruition.
The scheme for the hotel, restaurant and 18 apartments was granted planning permission in October 2014 and minutes from this time reveal the authority had hoped the hotel would be built and open by Christmas 2017.
But the £10 million plan was mothballed because KCC needed “third-party funding” to bring it to fruition.
Guy Hollaway Architects are also behind the Project MotorHouse proposals for the West Cliff Hall in Ramsgate, although Thanet council has now agreed to dispose of the building on the open market.
The application was approved by Thanet council yesterday (May 16)
How come planning permission for a 117 bed hotel with only 2 disabled car spaces. That’s going to work well. Geesh.
Not great news as although thoughtful investment and development can be positive, there will be a glut of guest accommodation which will hurt small accommodation providers. The Premier Inn doubled its room capacity some while ago. Furthermore of course this site will cause major impact on local residents and limit parking and increase traffic. It will have 130 rooms! Also just 2 designated disabled spaces will be highly unlikley to be enough to meet potential demand, so where will people with mobility issues etc have to go? Does not seem well planned at all. Despite what the hotel states, not everyone will want to travel to the hotel by train, roller skates or penny farthing.
People without mobility issues can easily come by bus or train to Margate, then walk or use a taxi. No need to be so sarcastic- plenty of people go on holiday without using a car.
With all the objections, not only by the public and local residents, I am very surprised this has managed to get passed by the council. Here is another silly decision made by officers who know nothing of the area this has been planned for. It will make the double bend dangerous if parking places are to be made on the highway out front of the building, even if slightly a layby. Not sure where the footpath will be if the building borders the pavement. The car park at Dalby Square used for the planning of the application has now been removed and replaced with garden so only one Pay and Display car park within walking distance. Where will all the parking for hotel users be as the adjacent roads are always packed with the residents living there looking for spaces. It looks like too many floors have been allowed anyway and will overlook residents living space. A similar application has been turned down by the council for that reason so why allow it here? What a crazy decision with nowhere to store bins and no access from the rear either. Noise, nuisance and danger is enough to turn down so which officer gave this permission? Lots of questions need answers.
You had every opportunity to object and voice your reasons when this application is live. It has been approved by Thanet District Council Planning Officers, whom live in the area and do not approve development for the sake of it. Welcome the change with positivity.
Just as a matter of interest, who is Hosers Corner named after?
Cllr Cyril Hoser
Seriously! Is it compulsory to have to have served a prison sentence for serious crime to have a street named after you in Thanet these days?
Quite possibly…..
It amuses me how many negative comments there are regarding this application. Every member of the public had a right to comment and object to this application when it was under consideration and so they cannot moan that it has been approved. What’s done is done, its too late to object now.
I think this is great for Margate and what it will do for local businesses.
Margate has been left to rot for far too long.
Although permits for local residents would be great.:)