A plan to build a five-storey hotel on the site of a beloved New Brighton building has been refused.
The proposal, submitted last summer, would have meant demolishing the Queen’s Royal Hotel and building a 68-bed hotel with a ground floor bar and rooftop penthouse in its place.
The Queen’s closed in 2019 to the disappointment of many who were gutted about the potential loss of a beautiful building and a part of New Brighton’s history.
Speaking last summer, David Bennett, from The Keith Davidson Partnership - the architects behind the project, said the design for the new hotel was a “modern take on art deco and a perfect model for a seaside town".
But planning documents show Wirral Council blocked the new hotel plan at the end of last year over perceived problems with its size and design.
The document read: “The loss of the Queens Royal Hotel which qualifies as a non-designated heritage asset and its replacement with a building that is considered to be greatly inferior in design terms is considered to impoverish the architectural and local interest of New Brighton.”
Looking at appearance and size, a further section read: “The design and scale of the proposed building is not considered to reflect the setting of the original plot or the special character of the area.
"The proposed building would have a detrimental impact onto the visual setting of the street scene and the relationship with established neighbouring buildings.”
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Other issues the council had with the proposal included the “undue level of bulk” near to people’s gardens and a lack of information given regarding the potential impact of the new hotel on protected species and habitats.
Although the Queen’s was loved by many it suffered from the competition of the nearby Marine Point development.
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That complex, which came to New Brighton in 2011, has helped to regenerate the area bringing brands such as Travelodge, Pizza Express, Starbucks and Hungry Horse to the resort.
With around 500,000 visitors per year, the Marine Point development has helped to secure the future of the promenade but it reduced demand for the Queen’s.
Got a Wirral story? Email me at george.morgan@reachplc.com
