Hotel backed despite flood risk warning

AN £ 18 million plan to build a Holiday Inn on the former Glasgow Garden Festival site has been backed by city councillors – despite a recommendation to refuse due to flooding concerns.

Pacific Quay Developments is behind the proposal, which would see a 150bed hotel, with rooftop bar, on the south bank of the River Clyde.

But the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency ( SEPA) objects to the plan, citing a “material risk of flooding”.

Council planning officers recommended the proposed development should be rejected, highlighting the objection from the flooding authority.

Developers argued the hotel would not be on a functional flood plain – and would be raised above the 200- year flood level.

The city’s planning committee gave the go- ahead to the scheme, meaning it will now go before Scottish Ministers as a result of the objection from SEPA.

Councillors had originally been recommended to reject the plan at a meeting in August but requested a hearing.

At the hearing, a council officer told the committee that the “most accurate modelling of the Upper Clyde” was a flood management strategy carried out in 2005.

He said the council and neighbouring authorities had used that model to establish the functional flood plain, which is used to assess planning applications.

In 2019, SEPA advised the modelling information would be updated. The council is in talks with SEPA about approval of the new model.

The officer said until then, the functional flood plain from the 2005 model continues to be used. The 2019 model “has no status as yet”, councillors were told.

SEPA’s objection stated the proposed development would “increase flood risk on this site and elsewhere”.

But Dr Michael Stewart, on behalf of the applicant, said their flood risk assessment had used river levels from the ongoing 2019 modelling and the buildings were located outside the flooding area.

“In addition, the lowers level of the building will be raised 1.65m above the 200year flood level,” he said.

A council officer said: “I think, at a fairly senior level, we have consistently given the view we didn’t see this as a suitable site for hotel use.”

Councillor Ken Andrew said the developer had added mitigating design features to “get round the potential flood risk should there be one, and that’s not all together clear”.