Plans for a new 37-room hotel in Cheshunt have been rejected by Broxbourne Borough Council’s planning committee.
Under the plans, the ground floor at 45 Turners Hill – which has lain empty for ten years – would have been used as a restaurant while three upper storeys would have been used as a hotel.
But councillors decided last week (Tuesday, 20 May) to reject the proposals, raising concerns about a lack of parking, “insufficient” waste management and whether it was the right use for the site.
Cllr Paul Mason said the design was “very high quality” but continued: “I’m not convinced that in this borough we’ve got shortages of hotels.
He suggested the site could breach a council policy about “making effective use of urban land”: “Government policy greatly encourages having a commercial mix with residential and retail.
“We know what our housing requirement is at the moment. We know the pressures we are under to build on the green belt. A site like this lends itself more to residential development.
“If we let sites like this go for the type of use that’s being suggested, I think we’re more in danger of having to build a great deal more housing in the green belt.”
Several councillors suggested adding a condition to the planning application, requiring the site to be used as a hotel only rather than as temporary accommodation.
Cllr Selina Norgrove said: “I personally don’t see why a hotel is needed in the middle of Cheshunt unless it is a route towards temporary housing, because then they are pretty much guaranteed some custom.”
The applicant’s agent had told councillors: “The site has been vacant for ten years following a fire.
“It presents us with an exciting opportunity to design an attractive, landmark building and contribute to the regeneration works the council is undertaking at Grundy Park and within Cheshunt Old Pond.”
He added that there is a “shortage” of hotels in the area, and that guests would “generally” stay for one or two nights.
A decision on the application was due to be made in November, but was deferred by the applicant after council officers recommended it was rejected. Changes made to the scheme included reducing the number of rooms from 41 to 37, and officers this time recommended approval.
The plans did not include any parking for hotel guests, though council officers noted there are “a number of local public car parks” within a few hundred metres of the proposed site.
Broxbourne’s waste management team had objected to the application, saying access arrangements for rubbish were “unsatisfactory”.
The applicant said a private company would collect waste from a private shared access road behind Turners Hill.
The council granted permission in 2021 to extend the building and use it for a restaurant and nine two-bedroom flats, but the plans never went ahead, and permission has now expired.
ENDS
Covering Hertfordshire’s district and borough councils.
