Success for Boutique Hotel in Westminster
Client: Albert Properties Holding Ltd.
LPA: Westminster City Council
Boyer successfully secured planning permission from Westminster City Council’s Planning Applications Committee for our client, Albert Properties Holding Ltd. The proposals sought to establish the principle of the change of use of a large, grade II listed, seven bedroom private house on Kensington Gore to a luxury boutique hotel. The property is located close to the Royal Albert Hall overlooking Kensington Gardens.
The Grade II Listed building boasts spectacular, grand rooms throughout including a particularly impressive ballroom. Despite a policy presumption to protect residential accommodation within the borough, Boyer was able to make persuasive arguments which convinced Planning Officers to present the application to the Committee with an open recommendation for Members’ views. Boyer’s submission included an assessment of the property which demonstrated that, given the building’s Grade II Listed status, a scheme involving the sub-division of the Listed building to provide residential flats, which was the Council’s preferred option for the property, would not be successful or feasible.
Following engagement with local Members, one Councillor wrote a highly supportive letter to the Planning Committee who, in resolving to approve the scheme, acknowledged the unique circumstances of the property as presented by Boyer in the planning submission. The property is not used for the majority of the year, and being exceptionally large, is always under occupied. Given its lack of use, Boyer presented the proposed alternative use which will continue to respect the property’s historic significance. Members acknowledged the public benefits of opening up the property’s exceptional interiors to visiting members of the public, and unanimously voted to grant conditional planning permission. A listed building consent application to secure the few, minor internal alterations required for the hotel use will be prepared shortly.
