Will David Coulthard’s Games hotel ever get the green light?
Three weeks to go and venue still awaits planning permission
IT boasts that its rooms have the ‘wow’ factor, with flat-screen televisions, air conditioning, wi-fi, and en suite wet rooms and power showers.
And with its ability to set up close to the action at all major sporting and arts events, retired Formula One driver David Coulthard’s ‘pop-up’ hotel company would seem to be the perfect answer for visitors still struggling to get accommodation for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this month.
But despite taking online bookings for rooms, whose prices range from £99 to £249, Snoozebox has yet to obtain planning permission to set up in the East End of the city.
And, with less than three weeks to go before the Games, insiders have cast doubt on the company’s ability to obtain the official go-ahead in time.
Construction has not yet begun on the hotel and Glasgow City Council insists Coulthard’s company must now make a formal application for planning permission.
It is understood Snoozebox, which has been accepting bookings for families and double rooms, takes the view that as the structure will last just a fortnight, planning permission is not required for the derelict site in Dalmarnock, where the hotel is supposed to be situated.
The company plans to dismantle the temporary structure in Dunn Street after the last guests leave at the end of the Games on August 4.
But yesterday, a planning expert said: ‘It’s not good enough for the firm to claim it is not a permanent structure.
‘If, as I expect, this hotel makes a significant footprint on this site, they will require to obtain planning permission.
‘It could be the council decide to award them temporary permission but I doubt they will get away with making no application whatsoever.’
Snoozebox has become a common feature at some of Europe’s biggest events, with its concept of stacking shipping containers ‘ five-high’ to create a new ‘hotel’ in any location within 48 hours.
The brainchild of Coulthard and the late hospitality entrepreneur Robert Breare, the first Snoozebox was erected at the 2012 British Grand Prix and the London Olympics.
It was such a success that visitors to last July’s Open Championship at Muirfield were able to stay in one of 160 Snoozeboxes, with 10ft headroom.
Coulthard, originally from Twynholm, Kirkcudbrightshire, who is president of the company, has said his personal experiences persuaded him to invest and become its public face.
He said: ‘The rooms may be relatively small but they are quite luxurious.
‘The concept of a hotel delivered to an event and fully operational in 48 hours clicked with me immediately. It works on every level.’
Yesterday, Glasgow City Council said it had now raised the issue with the hotel company, rather than wait for construction to begin.
A spokesman said: ‘Planning officers have written to Snoozebox asking for clarity on why it doesn’t believe the intended operation at Dunn Street requires planning permission.’
A spokesman for Snoozebox said the company was relying on an exemption under Scottish legislation, which permits the erection of ‘moveable structures’ for a period of 28 days without the need for planning permission.