A REQUIREMENT set by the Planning Committee as part of the decision to approve Strive’s plans for a luxury hotel in St Peter had to be altered so that the legal agreement giving effect to it was “capable of being complied with”.
Infrastructure and Environment Department chief officer Andy Scate has responded to comments made by former Planning Committee chair Philip Le Sueur, regarding the planning obligation agreement for the development.
An application put forward by SDJ Limited, comprising a 155-bed hotel with a conference centre, spa treatment rooms and swimming pool, was given the green light in March.
That decision followed the refusal of a larger iteration of the scheme towards the end of last year.
As documented in the Planning Committee minutes, the revised plans’ approval was accompanied by a number of requirements – including the “securing” of a four- or five-star hotel operator.
However, the recently-published planning obligation agreement instead states that a report should be submitted “demonstrating” that the hotel is capable of meeting at least a four-star rating – or equivalent – by a recognised independent grading body.
It also states that, within the hotel’s first year, the owner “shall take all reasonable steps required” to obtain the rating.
Former Trinity Constable Philip Le Sueur, who was chair of the Planning Committee when the application was approved, initially told the JEP it was “slightly disappointing” that the requirement had been “diluted a little bit from the original intent”.
In response, Mr Scate stated that the legal agreement “has been drafted to ensure that it is capable of being complied with whilst giving effect to the intentions of the Planning Committee”.
He noted that star ratings were not just determined by a hotel’s physical characteristics, “but also by the quality of its operation and service provision”.
“As a result, ratings are typically awarded only once a hotel has become operational,” Mr Scate continued. “For this reason, the agreement requires the relevant information to be submitted within 12 months of the commencement of the hotel’s use.”
Following Mr Scate’s response, Mr Le Sueur said this was “fair enough”, noting that the Planning Committee had been looking to ensure a “quality offering”.
Strive’s hotel scheme is being backed by Sealyham Investments, whose chairman – Tom Scott – is also chairman of the Leicester Tigers rugby union club.
