Station hotel plan rejected

PLANS for a five-storey hotel in Henley station car park have been rejected for a second time.

Blocwork wanted to build a 115-bed Premier Inn but South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, rejected the application in August.

Now the company’s appeal against that decision has been dismissed by a planning inspector.

Hollie Nicholls said the proposed design was not in keeping with the area or aesthetically pleasing, in particular the “visual bulk, massing, scale, roof form, height and materials”.

The company, a partnership between landowner Network Rail and developer Bloc Group, of London, argued that the hotel would not harm the surrounding conservation area.

But Ms Nicholls, who heard the appeal in public at Henley Rugby Club on May 10, rejected it on the grounds of appearance and its incongruousness with the surrounding area.

She said: “The sense of arrival into Henley by railway would be markedly changed by the proposal. The scale of the building, and its austere qualities, combined with its siting in relation to the railway line and station platforms, would result in it forming a dominant feature to arriving passengers and as they exit the station to the side, directly facing the appeal site.

“Similarly, the proximity of the end flank wall to the public conveniences would make this area of public realm appear oppressive and uninviting.

“Though there would be connectivity through to the rear car park around this end of the building, it would still feel like an unwelcoming, dark, narrow alley space, which would not be overcome through the small number of bedroom windows or a reliance on streetlighting and CCTV.

“Though the introduction of a hotel and its patrons would increase the footfall in the area at all times of day and night, the users of the public conveniences would still be at a disadvantage through the limited visibility of the area around them.”

Ms Nicholls acknowledged that the hotel would not be visible from the St Mark’s Road conservation area and would not “harmfully alter” the view from the river towpath or Henley Bridge.

But she said: “The impact of the proposal on the view between Regatta Villas and Hewgate Court would be more noticeable.

“While the existing view is framed between two modern buildings in the foreground, the proposed building would compete with their scale and would be an imposing presence, despite being set some distance away beyond the intervening roads, car park and the railway.

“In views from the conservation area, particularly from the entrance of the Imperial Hotel, the large mass of the building, its blocky form and large expanse of metal-clad, largely featureless flank wall would be at odds with the established character of the buildings in the fore- and mid-ground, which are smaller in scale and include a variety of characteristic gable and hip roof forms, largely brick exteriors and features of interest, such as bay windows.

“Though merely being able to see a building from a conservation area does not equate to harm, the loss of the vegetation and the filling of the space with such a voluminous and boldly contemporary building without the benefit of adequate softness from landscaping would detract from the quality of the street scene and thus from the setting of the conservation area.

“In a small way, this effect would also alter the experience of the Imperial Hotel in views both from it and towards it.”

She said that techniques used to minimise the visual mass of the building and landscaping were inadequate and concluded that “the proposal would not constitute good design in terms of its harmful effects on the character and appearance of the street scene and surrounding area”.

Ms Nicholls added: “Through altering the way in which the site currently makes a neutral contribution to the settings of the conservation area and Imperial Hotel to the proposal’s effect of detracting from them, albeit in a modest way, the proposal would harm the settings and thus significance of two designated heritage assets.” She said that such harm was “less than substantial” and acknowledged that there would be public benefits to the proposal, including the creation of new jobs and tourism to the area but decided they did not outweigh the harm.

The inspector’s decision comes after a campaign by town ccouncillors, heritage organisations and residents of neighbouring Wyndale Close, who distributed leaflets urging people to object to the application.

In March, a group of residents and supporters protested at the car park, holding up a banner which read: “Say no to the high rise Premier Inn.”

Gill Dodds, a town councillor and resident of Wyndale Close, said the failure of the appeal was a “relief”.

She said: “I have WhatsApped the Close’s group chat and they are all thrilled to bits.

“The inspector picked up as the main issues the design and appearance and she has some lovely lines that are quite scathing, such as ‘building with austere qualities’ – she really didn’t like the building.

“The district council’s policies were very robust and she quotes them often, which is a good example of how our policies stood up at the appeal. It’s a brilliant result.”

Ken Arlett, a Henley district councillor who spoke against the plans at the appeal hearing, said: “I’m obviously pleased that the district council has won the appeal, mainly for Henley.

“The inspector’s report isn’t lengthy, although it covers all the points the speakers made, which I am quite pleased about. There is not much pleasure in winning this as a Premier Inn would have been a benefit to the town if it was to blend in but we have to be realistic. What they proposed looked like something you would see on the M1 or M4.

“One would hope they would come back and sit with the town council and come up with a scheme acceptable to the town and district council. I hope they come back with a better design that isn’t as bulky.

“I believe there is a need for this type of operation in Henley and I know people who have used the chain are pleased with what they get for their money but you can’t destroy parking spaces and coach parking and restaurant trade for a Premier Inn.”

Julian Brookes, vice-chairman of the Henley Society, said: “I am very happy because we thought it was completely inappropriate. But I wonder whether we have heard the last of Premier Inn. They have spent two and a half years and probably a serious amount of money on it. Let’s see what they decide.”

A spokeswoman for Premier Inn said: “We are disappointed by the decision and will consider our options.”