Durham County Cricket Club gets green light for new luxury 152 bedroom hotel including 9 tier terrace
Hilton Hotels have shown a “clear interest” in taking on the development
Plans for a 152 bedroom four star hotel overlooking Durham County Crickey Club have been approved by councillors following a Planning Committee Meeting yesterday (June 25).
The hotel will be built on the current site of the club’s Banks Homes Riverside stadium in Chester-Le-Street. The committee report also highlighted that the Hilton Hotel chain “have shown clear interest in taking on the development”.
In the planning statement, a spokesperson for the club said: “The building would feature a bar and restaurant area, as well as meeting spaces and a small club shop ancillary to the Cricket Club.
“It is submitted that the development would bring investment into the Club and wider area, and help the make the Club more financially competitive on a national scale by providing an additional source of income.
“The application demonstrates that Hilton Hotels, have shown clear interest in taking on the development.”
A total of 24 objections and three letters of support were received by the Council.
The concerns raised are mostly focused on the proposal exacerbating existing parking concerns during the larger cricket games held at the ground.
The proposal was supported by Visit County Durham, a destination management organisation for the county.
A statement on the Planning Committee Meeting document said: “Visit County Durham advise the proposal would help address an identified need in County Durham for overnight visitor accommodation.
“They also note the site’s location near to the A1(M), allowing opportunities to capture passing trade along this busy national route.
“Given the proposal would bring investment into the Cricket Club and wider area, and help the make the Club more financially competitive on a national scale by providing an additional source of income, and would address an identified need in the County for more visitor accommodation, the economic and social benefits of the proposal are afforded significant weight.”
The committee meeting document did identify some landscape impact on short range views in the local area, on longer range views within the wider landscape, and on the setting of designated heritage assets including the visually prominent Grade I listed Lumley Castle.
The committee stated: “The overall Landscape harm is considered to be of minor/moderate significance. The Heritage harm is considered to be at the lower end of ‘less than substantial harm’. It’s considered the submitted justification for the scale of the hotel, alongside the wider benefits of the proposal, is sufficient to outweigh these levels of harm.”
The site is located within Flood Zones 2 and 3, but following updated flood risk and drainage details the Environment Agency and the Lead Local Flood Authority have raise no objections to the scheme.
Plans for the new hotel have taken inspiration from similar hotel complexes at Old Trafford in Manchester, and the Rose Bowl in Hampshire.
The hotel would feature six stories, with a car park and foyer on the ground floor; restaurant areas, a lobby and bedrooms on the first floor; and further bedrooms on the second, third, fourth and fifth floors.
The internal layout has been orientated to maximise views of the cricket pitch to the south of the building from the restaurant areas and lobby, and from half of the bedrooms. The remaining bedrooms would face northward. Southward facing bedrooms overlooking the pitch would feature small private balconies.
A nine-tier seating terrace would be attached to the southern side of the building, providing views across the cricket ground for spectators.
The council’s Planning Committee recommended that the proposal is approved on the basis that work on the development begins within the next three years.