Manorcrest Homes - General Development - Lincoln, Brayford Wharf North
Date: 25 Jan 2008
Plans for a new £10 million 6-storey hotel with associated leisure facilities in a prime city-centre location have been submitted to Lincoln City Council. The proposed hotel on the site of the former electricity works building on Brayford Wharf North would have 97 bedrooms along with 8 suites, public restaurants and bars and a state of the art health and fitness suite. Facilities will be available for business conferences and wider public use.
The proposed hotel is expected to create up to 100 new jobs with up to 100 jobs during the construction phase. Set back from the water's edge it would directly face the Pool towards the university and such a facility has been identified as a priority development within the city as part of the City Council's overarching tourism and economic development visions for Lincoln, say developers.
The proposed scheme, submitted by Lincoln-based Lichfield Planning on behalf of the developer Manorcrest and the landowner British Waterways, seeks to respond to the chronic shortage of quality overnight accommodation in the city centre by delivering a development which not only provides much needed bed space but also delivers a modern, high quality building, which actively contributes to the urban renaissance of the Brayford quarter. If approved, construction is expected to begin in January 2009 and the hotel would be open by the summer of 2010.
The design of the scheme, created by Lincoln architect Neil Cawley whose projects have included the Waterside Shopping Centre in Lincoln as well as projects further afield including major regeneration in Birmingham city-centre, has evolved through numerous discussions with the local planning authority, the Urban Design Forum and CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment). It aims to deliver a modern hotel development of note and quality that would sit comfortably within the context of the Cathedral crowned hill side, say the developers.
"This vision has been underpinned by specific research conducted by Lincoln City and Lincolnshire County councils into the potential for future hotel development in the City, which identified a steady increase in hotel occupancies in recent years, particularly in Lincoln," said Phil Scrafton of Lichfield Planning. "However, many of the City's hotels are forced to turn away significant business when major events are being held such as the Lincoln Christmas Market, University of Lincoln graduation and the Waddington Air Show as well as running at very high occupancy levels throughout the year. Opportunities for conferencing and events tend to be located outside the city centre due to the shortage of facilities," he added.
The hotel would also help counter the growing concerns that Lincoln is currently perceived as being at the bottom of the league table for contemporary cathedral cities, believe the developers.
"The City Council and its partners are actively promoting the city in an attempt to increase Lincoln's position in the league table. The need to increase accommodation for the staying visitor is fundamental to this strategy, particularly as Lincoln is increasingly marketed to traditional and emerging markets in Europe as well as the United States," said Mr Scrafton.
"The hotel would be in a part of the City Centre that has been experiencing rapid and substantial change over the past decade, prompted in large part by the development of the University of Lincoln's Brayford Campus along the Pool's south bank. This part of the city continues to regenerate and benefit from significant investment, transforming the area into vibrant new city quarter, sitting alongside the core historic city," said Mr Scrafton.
An architect's impression of the proposed hotel on Brayford Wharf North
Where do I go now?: » View the latest news items » View the news archive » Subscribe to Weekly Construction Newsletter » Submit news
