Winter Gardens hotel signed off

Blackpool Council’s has unanimously approved plans by developer Kewdeal for a 160-bedroom hotel and 94-space car park next to the landmark venue.

Under Essex-registered Kewdeal’s outline proposals, the developer would build a five-storey hotel and two-storey car park on land bounded by Adelaide Street, Leopold Grove and Alfred Street, adjacent to Winter Gardens Blackpool, the historic entertainment venue.

The hotel is planned to take up around a third of the overall site along the Leopold Grove side, with the Alfred Street side housing a two-storey car park whose exterior will feature a green wall and planting.

The main hotel entrance will be on Adelaide Street, and there will be a secondary entrance on Leopold Grove.

The project team comprises architect Bisset Adams, Tad Planning and transport consultant Mayer Brown.

Phil Robets, director of Kewdeal, told Place that “it was good to see a unanimous approval, but it’s still very early days” adding that the developer will take a month or two to determine its next steps.

The site has long been earmarked for a hotel, with plans of varying sizes and configurations having been approved on three occasions at various stages since 2010.

The most recent consent was in 2018, when the design team for the current scheme won approval for a block with 203 bedrooms, with facilities including a spa. The plans failed to advance.

Up to 160 bedrooms are indicated in Kewdeal’s renewed plans, but it also states that alternative uses such as meeting rooms or a gym could see that figure reduced.

The hotel could be linked to the new conference centre via a bridge, although this is not included in the current application.

The proposal is a positive step towards the regeneration of the area, said Blackpool’s planning committee. Officers had recommended the scheme for approval earlier this month.