Six-storey hotel recommended for approval near Cambridge

The site would be six storeys in height with 137 hotel rooms and 80 aparthotel, or extended stay, rooms.

Council officers have recommended a new hotel should be given planning permission.

If councillors approve it would be built in Orchard Park, a residential area on the edge of Cambridge.

It would include 137 hotel rooms, 80 aparthotel, or extended stay, rooms, a restaurant, bar, cafe, gym and pool.

Councillors at South Cambridgeshire District Council are due to consider the proposals at a planning committee meeting on February 14.

The new hotel is proposed to be built on one of the remaining sections of land in the Orchard Park development.

The plans for the hotel were put forward by TLC Group, which is proposing to make the hotel six-storeys tall, reaching a total height of 24.4m.

A co-working office area is proposed to be created, alongside two conference rooms and individual meeting rooms that would be available to hire

A basement car park is planned including 178 car parking spaces, 16 of which would be wheelchair accessible.

The development also proposed to offer 124 visitor cycle parking spaces, as well as 30 secure cycle parking spaces.

Objections to the development have been raised by the Orchard Park Community Council, which has listed a number of concerns.

These include the potential for there to be an increase in cars travelling around the area to go to the hotel, gym, pool and restaurant.

The council also argued the amount of parking was "inadequate", highlighting that pavement parking was a problem in the area and raised worries the new hotel could "exacerbate" this problem.

In the report planning officers said the amount of car parking spaces proposed is less than the standards set out by the district council in its current local plan.

However, they said the transport assessment team did not expect the hotel to cause overspill parking into surrounding roads.

The report stated the proposals could "assimilate successfully into its surrounding context without causing any harm" and it was a "well-designed scheme."

The report also highlighted economic benefits due to the jobs that would be created.