Swimming pool plans approved for White Hart Hotel

The White Hart Hotel is in a conservation area in Lincoln

Plans to build a swimming pool and expand a hotel in uphill Lincoln have been approved by the City of Lincoln Council.

The White Hart Hotel will also see new rooms, a cafe, restaurant and retail space.

The developments were put forward after the hotel was bought by businessman, Andrew Long, who has also purchased the nearby Judges Lodgings.

All of the plans were unanimously approved by the authority's planning committee on Wednesday.

The rooms above the Lincoln Tourist Information Centre will house additional rooms for the White Hart Hotel

The swimming pool, spa and gym complex will be built within the existing hotel structure on Bailgate and used by hotel guests.

It would see no changes to the exterior of the Grade II listed building but internal alterations would be made to create a 36ft (11m) swimming pool.

Dr Samantha Stein, a local archaeology expert, previously voiced concerns about the project, and told the committee it had "zero to no public benefit".

She said: "We are robbing the public of potential heritage and for what? A paddling pool?"

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillors acknowledged those concerns and councillor Calum Watt said "we might find another dodecahedron" in reference to the Norton Disney find.

The City of Lincoln Council's archaeology officer said any Roman artefacts, discovered during the works, would be transferred to the museum service.

Other proposals approved by the planning committee included the expansion of the hotel to the Judges Lodgings and 2 Bailgate to include extra hotel rooms, a cafe and restaurant.

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