Page 4 - Town & Around - February 2024

4 Town & Around February 2024 Tel: 01485 540620 email: editor@townandaround.net
Extraordinary Town Council meeting ends in 6-5 vote against new hotel
unstanton Town Council met on 3rd January to respond to a
planning application for a new four storey hotel and restaurant
Habove what is currently a car park above retail units on the
South Promenade. The Borough Council makes the decisions about
planning, but the Town Council is a statutory consultee and is asked
for its opinion. There is a time limit for the Town Council to respond
which is why the extraordinary meeting had to be arranged.
Local businessman Derrick Lloyd who is applying to build the hotel
attended the meeting along with several members of the public and the
Borough Councillors representing the town.
The design and access statement prepared by Strata Architects
specifies that the building would be set out over five floors with the
promenade, and ground floors providing the development’s retail /
restaurant functions, including car parking and other communal
facilities. The hotel accommodation on the top three floors would
comprise of two one-bedroom suites and seven two-bedroom suites.
Mr Sach, who owns a property near the proposed development said:
“The residents of Harlequin House would be severely impacted by the Hunstanton Town Council Extraordinary Meeting
new build; it is already practically impossible to get in and out of the
Harlequin House private car park, and the reduction of car parking
spaces and increased traffic would only make this worse.”
Cllr Howard pointed out that the Norfolk guidance was one parking
space for every bedroom and the project had 16 bedrooms and ony 9
car parking spaces.
Cllr Tony Bishopp said the council was in favour of investment in
the town. “Personally, I’m in favour of this build, it will add value to
the town and if we have local businesses wanting to take this on, we
should support it.”
Cllr Robert Corby said: “The application ignores the Neighbourhood
Plan and falls within the conservation area.
“We are obliged to follow the Neighbourhood Plan, the
Conservation Document and then the Local Plan.
“The development is too tall for the area; an application for a hotel
is not the issue, my problem is the size and impact within the
conservation area and the reduction in car park spaces.
“I don’t think what we have here fits in with the Neighbourhood
Plan, it is an overdevelopment of the site.”
Cllr Jordan Cribb said: “This is a massive application for this town;
it is great to see business investment, but I don’t think investment
should supersede good development.” He also said there was much
missing from the application that hadn’t appeared on the borough’s
planning portal.
Responding to questions from the public and members of the council
Mr Lloyd, who owns three other hotels plus self-catering properties in
the area, confirmed that their feasibility study revealed there is a strong
demand for family accommodation; Hunstanton is a family resort and Picture credit: Strata Architects p31 Design and Access Statement
there are not enough family rooms available. He confirmed that about the area; we intend the hotel to open all year round and we are not
30 jobs would be created. intending to have a bar there – it’s a different format altogether.
Mr Lloyd also rebuffed suggestions that the suites would be sold off “We run all of our businesses ourselves and employ 500-600 staff;
as seafront flats. He said: “As a family business we are investing in we wouldn’t do anything detrimental to the area.”