Last updated at 12:45, Thursday, 06 November 2008

A CONTROVERSIAL four-storey extension to a South Lakeland hotel has been given the go-ahead.

The Waterside Hotel at Town End, Grasmere, will double its floor space after the Lake District National Park Authority approved the extension to the 1885 building, on Tuesday.

It was owner Tom Harwood’s third attempt to extend the hotel, which is built on the shores of Grasmere.

His first two applications were considered too big. Local residents, interest groups and public figures such as artist Rolf Harris and Cumbrian author and TV presenter Lord Melvyn Bragg weighed in against the plans.

The Lakes Parish Council, the Victorian Society, Friends of the Lake District and Grasmere Village Society agreed the new plan is better, but are still worried about the size of the extension, potential flooding and increased light pollution.

Tony Ball, member of the Waterside Action Group and Grasmere Village Society, said the 52 per cent increase in the hotel’s floorspace was “unacceptable”. He added it “would dominate Grasmere lake in an overbearing manner.”

Concerned the decision will lead the way for even more expansion, Mr Ball added it had “all the markings of a Trojan Horse.”

Waterside Hotel owner Mr Harwood is away on holiday. Hotel assistant manager Mark Brady refused to comment on the concerns raised about the extension.

He said: “We’re delighted with the decision. For nearly three years we’ve been trying to get this resolved. The hotel needs a lot of investment and this is going to help improve the product massively for guests and staff.”

LDNPA planning officer Neil Henderson said the new proposal had satisfactorily “addressed the reasons for refusal of the previous schemes.”

He concluded: “The changes, although substantial, would not be prejudicial to the character of the existing hotel, would preserve the character and appearance of the Town End conservation area, and would not harm the landscape of the National Park.”

LDNPA committee member Professor Jeremy Rowan-Robinson said the new scheme was “an improvement.”

He added that the hotel needed upgrading and the extension would create jobs and provide better guest facilities.

The hotel, formerly called the Prince of Wales, will be partly demolished to increase the number of guest bedrooms from 72 to 83. Five staff bedrooms will be lost, but the bulk of the original building will be left untouched.

First published at 11:46, Thursday, 06 November 2008
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk