Plans for town centre hotel refused

Developers hoped to build a three-storey hotel on South Street

Plans for a three-storey hotel in Dewsbury town centre have been refused permission.

The proposals for the 33-room hotel on land to the rear of Yorkshire House were met with numerous objections from residents and Dewsbury Chamber of Trade.

A statement submitted in support of the plans said it would boost the local economy and create jobs.

But Kirklees planners refused the application, saying the "harm identified would not be outweighed by the benefits of the scheme."

The South Street plans were already a toned-down version of proposals for a 75-room, six-storey hotel that had previously been turned down, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

An objection by the town's Chamber of Trade said Dewsbury was in need of genuine hotel accommodation to support the tourism and the business community.

But it said it did not think the standard of the proposed accommodation matched the "long-term plans of the council nor the aspirations of the people of Dewsbury to see an improvement in the social fabric of this area of town".

In the decision note, the council said the loss of car parking space, design quality and height were among the reasons for refusal.

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