News: Rotherham Premier Inn plans passed
The planning board at Rotherham Council has voted to approve an expansion at a popular hotel, despite a number of objections.
Rothbiz reported in 2024 that Premier Inn had identified a "considerable demand" for additional accommodation at its Rotherham East hotel in the Brecks area. It came eight years after the operator secured approval for a similar scheme that was never built.
Rothbiz has also reported that the latest proposed development would lead to a net reduction of 15 car parking spaces and that the recent introduction of time limited restrictions and charges at the car park led to Rotherham's highways department raising concerns. 144 objections from local residents have also been submitted, almost all related to the loss of car parking or an excacerbation of existing parking problems in the area.
The latest proposal, drawn up by Walshingham Planning, is for a 4,800 sq ft two storey extension to the east of the current hotel. It would provide an additional 16 bedrooms but two current rooms would be lost to create a new corridor. It would take the total rooms at the site from 62 to 76 and lead to a net reduction of 15 car parking spaces.
Following a number of surveys requested by the council, including assessing on-street parking nearby and the use of car park between the hotel and pub and the Sainsbury's convenience store, snooker club and dance school, the planners at Rotherham Council concluded that "the objections raised would not outweigh the judgement that the development would not cause unacceptable impact on highway safety, or a severe impact on the road network."
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It is concluded that, based on the survey’s undertaken, "there is the potential for some displaced parking to on-street parking to take place, for a short time period in the evening, though this is as a result of the activities of the adjoining convenience store, snooker hall and dance hall, where patronage exceeds their 18 allocated car parking spaces" with users also occupying spaces in the Whitbread car parking areas.
The planning board were told that even with the increase in the number of rooms and the decrease in parking spaces, the car park users visiting the hotel and pub could still be accommodated on the site without pushing the customers onto nearby streets.
Jonathan Vose of Walshingham Planning, said: "The proposal represents the expansion of an existing tourism asset on brownfield land, and will contribute to Rotherham’s tourism offer and economy via private investment by the UK’s largest hotelier."
Objectors discussed that shared parking arrangements ended when Whitbread introduced fees for car park users and that they feel that the survey fails to tell the whole story as it was only carried out for three days. Janet Mitchell of the nearby dance school warned that: "We may not be able to continue if people cannot find places to park or just drop and collect their children."
Simon Gammons, senior highways manager at Rotherham Council told the board: "This is an application for a private business on their own land, and their car park. In a perfect world it would be shared and everyone would operate together but, at the moment, Premier Inn own them 80-odd spaces and their hotel, and the facts are that they can accommodate their own traffic. The others can't."
Members of the board were told that it would be up to, and in the best interests of, the convenience store, snooker club and dance school to put in place some management of its parking spaces to prevent users of the hotel using them, but this was not part of the application.
Seven councillors voted to approve the plans, with one voting against and one abstention.
Images: Google Maps
Rothbiz reported in 2024 that Premier Inn had identified a "considerable demand" for additional accommodation at its Rotherham East hotel in the Brecks area. It came eight years after the operator secured approval for a similar scheme that was never built.
Rothbiz has also reported that the latest proposed development would lead to a net reduction of 15 car parking spaces and that the recent introduction of time limited restrictions and charges at the car park led to Rotherham's highways department raising concerns. 144 objections from local residents have also been submitted, almost all related to the loss of car parking or an excacerbation of existing parking problems in the area.
The latest proposal, drawn up by Walshingham Planning, is for a 4,800 sq ft two storey extension to the east of the current hotel. It would provide an additional 16 bedrooms but two current rooms would be lost to create a new corridor. It would take the total rooms at the site from 62 to 76 and lead to a net reduction of 15 car parking spaces.
Following a number of surveys requested by the council, including assessing on-street parking nearby and the use of car park between the hotel and pub and the Sainsbury's convenience store, snooker club and dance school, the planners at Rotherham Council concluded that "the objections raised would not outweigh the judgement that the development would not cause unacceptable impact on highway safety, or a severe impact on the road network."
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It is concluded that, based on the survey’s undertaken, "there is the potential for some displaced parking to on-street parking to take place, for a short time period in the evening, though this is as a result of the activities of the adjoining convenience store, snooker hall and dance hall, where patronage exceeds their 18 allocated car parking spaces" with users also occupying spaces in the Whitbread car parking areas.
The planning board were told that even with the increase in the number of rooms and the decrease in parking spaces, the car park users visiting the hotel and pub could still be accommodated on the site without pushing the customers onto nearby streets.
Jonathan Vose of Walshingham Planning, said: "The proposal represents the expansion of an existing tourism asset on brownfield land, and will contribute to Rotherham’s tourism offer and economy via private investment by the UK’s largest hotelier."
Objectors discussed that shared parking arrangements ended when Whitbread introduced fees for car park users and that they feel that the survey fails to tell the whole story as it was only carried out for three days. Janet Mitchell of the nearby dance school warned that: "We may not be able to continue if people cannot find places to park or just drop and collect their children."
Simon Gammons, senior highways manager at Rotherham Council told the board: "This is an application for a private business on their own land, and their car park. In a perfect world it would be shared and everyone would operate together but, at the moment, Premier Inn own them 80-odd spaces and their hotel, and the facts are that they can accommodate their own traffic. The others can't."
Members of the board were told that it would be up to, and in the best interests of, the convenience store, snooker club and dance school to put in place some management of its parking spaces to prevent users of the hotel using them, but this was not part of the application.
Seven councillors voted to approve the plans, with one voting against and one abstention.
Images: Google Maps
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