Plans lodged for new £9m hotel on old McLaren site
Plans for a new £9 million hotel on the site of the former McLaren Hotel in Brodick have finally been lodged.
An application to build a 97-bedroom mid-market hotel for the eyesore Brodick seafront site has been submitted to North Ayrshire Council planners.
Behind the proposal is the Norfolk-based Abode Group which says the new ‘aparthotel’, if approved, will fill a major gap. It will accommodate more than 30,000 visitors a year and create between 30 and 40 full- and part-time jobs.
The application is for the demolition of the existing hotel and the erection of a new hotel and restaurant on the site, which has become increasingly run down since the former McLaren Hotel closed in 2015.
The abodeGroup has been having ongoing detailed discussions with the plan- ning department for more than two years for the development which has been lodged under Class 7 hotels and hostels – which means that ‘no significant element of care is provided’ at the establishment apart from a restaurant and bar.
The proposals were also the subject of a public consultation exercise undertaken last summer where there was criticism of the design of the new hotel as well as the lack of parking and concerns about where the hotel would find sufficient staff.
As part of the planning application the Abobe Group has submitted both an economic impact appraisal and a transport report in support of its bid.
The reports state: ‘The design of the proposed new hotel has evolved over a two-year period to accord with the council’s requirements and to provide an economically viable devel-
opment that will meet the needs of the target market.
‘The hotel will provide 97 mid-market rooms. These will include basic kitchenettes as requested by the council so as to provide additional self-contained accommodation on the island.’
There will also be 52 on-site car parking spaces, space for the storage of 14 cycles, car/cycle hire will be available and there will be an electric vehicle charging point.
The transport assessment, which was carried out by THaT Consultancy (Transport Highways and Traffic Consultants) and states: ‘It is clear from this analysis that the proposed development will enjoy easy, safe and convenient access by a variety of different modes of travel. The site is easily accessible on foot, by bicycle, by bus and by car/ motorcycle.
‘The hotel is expected to employ 30-40 people in total with a mix of part-time and full-time workers. It is not expected that there will ever be more than 30 staff on duty at any one time.
‘The council’s parking standards would therefore require 39 car parking spaces for guests and 10 car parking spaces for staff. A total of 49 car parking spaces. The proposed site layout shows a total of 52 car parking spaces.
‘It is understood that the council would like the hotel’s restaurant/bar to be open to non-residents so as to extend the range of such venues in Brodick. Given the site’s location in the centre of the town, the availability of over 150 public car parking spaces directly outside the hotel site, and given that staff and any non-resident customers are expected to be based in Brodick, it is not considered necessary, or indeed appropriate, to make any specific additional onsite car parking provision.’
The report adds: ‘A wide range of measures are proposed to encourage noncar-based modes of travel by guests and staff. The majority of the 30 to 40 people employed by the hotel will be recruited locally and will therefore be able to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel to/from work.’