Nearly 450 more hotel bedrooms could be created on Piccadilly – as planning permission is set to be granted for a third new hotel to be built on the street.
Construction work has already begun on the 143-bedroom Hampton by Hilton Hotel next to Ryedale House and plans for a new 168-bed hotel under the Marriott brand at Banana Warehouse were approved last month.
Now plans for Swinson House, next to Spark York, to be demolished and a 132-bedroom Marriot hotel to be built in its place are set to go ahead.
If approved – it would mean nearly 450 new hotel rooms will be created on Piccadilly.
City of York Council’s planning committee have been invited to approve the scheme at a meeting on Thursday.
Concerns about church
The scheme has attracted criticism – with 25 letters of objection from residents, with one saying the concentration of hotels “has a detrimental impact due to their transient nature” and another questioning the “desirability and viability of yet more corporate style hotels”
According to a planning report, they said: “There is some evidence that there is now an excess of supply over demand for hotels, which in turn results inevitably in the reduction of prices, so that what was intended as so called mid-range becomes cheaper, lower range.”
Concerns about the scheme have also been raised by Historic England and York Civic Trust.
There are worries about the impact on neighbouring Grade I-listed St Denys’s Church, views of the church from Clifford’s Tower, the loss of Swinson House and how the hotel will fit with the council’s Castle Gateway scheme.
Tourism ‘experiencing growth’
But planning officers have recommended the application is approved, saying: “The proposed hotel use is acceptable in principle at this city centre site and fits with the aspirations for economic growth.
“The tourist industry is a key component of the York economy and is experiencing growth.”
“In 2019 York was in the UK top ten for regional markets (considering revenue per room) and occupancy rates of over 80 per cent. There is evident need for further hotel accommodation.”
The meeting takes place online on Thursday at 4.30pm and can be watched at the City of York Council YouTube channel.