Residential scheme on hotel site set for approval

A Swindon hotel which closed its doors last year is set to be demolished to make way for 70 new homes. Plans are recommended for approval at a planning committee meeting next week (9 May 2017).The South Marston Hotel and Leisure Club ceased trading in August 2016, with 43 staff made redundant, due to the impact of “historic and other losses”. PCR Insolvency in Bristol was appointed to oversee the administration.The hotel featured 60 bedrooms as well as a health and beauty spa, gym and swimming pool.An application had previously been submitted in November 2015 to demolish the hotel buildings and build houses on a wider 6.2-acre site.Under the plans, 70 new houses will be developed with a mix of two-,three-, four- and five-bedroom properties. Five affordable housing units are included.The hotel was developed around the Old Vicarage and this was originally earmarked for demolition under the proposals. However, the building is considered to be a heritage asset and will now be retained and converted for residential use.The scheme will go before Swindon Borough Council’s planning committee on 9 May 2017 with a report prepared for the meeting recommending that planning consent is granted.The report said the site represented a “windfall opportunity for residential development” on brownfield land.The recommendation has been made despite more than 100 objections to the scheme received by the council. These cover issues including the loss of community facilities and the potential impact on traffic and infrastructure in the area.