Cheltenham's 131 Promenade marquee row to continue

The hotel is on the historic Promenade in the centre of Cheltenham

Marquees erected outside a hotel are not expected to be removed in the near future, despite enforcement action.

They were installed for outdoor dining during the Covid-19 pandemic but an application to keep them was rejected due to the impact on nearby listed buildings.

However, the Lucky Onion Group, which owns the No 131 hotel, has appealed.

A Cheltenham Borough Council officer said: "I wouldn't expect the issue to be resolved in the short term."

The white marquees were installed when planning rules were relaxed during the Covid-19 pandemic to allow bars and restaurants to meet social distancing requirements while allowing people to use external spaces.

However, after this relaxation ended, proposals to keep the marquees up for a further two years were rejected by the borough council in November 2022, with the decision upheld by a planning inspector in summer 2023.

The hotel's proposal to turn the white peaks into domes which would be 2m (6.6ft) lower and less prominent was also rejected, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

An enforcement notice has now been issued but planners said the applicant could also appeal against this decision, councillors were told at a planning committee meeting on 18 January.

The marquees were installed for outdoor dining during the Covid-19 pandemic

Councillor Diggory Seacome said: "It seems to me there's something wrong with the system that allows continuous appealing which only benefits 131.

"Can a line be drawn under this appealing stuff?"

He asked Chris Gomm, the council's head of development management, enforcement and compliance, how long the process would take.

In response, Mr Gomm said: "All I can really say at this moment in time is that an enforcement notice was served very recently... we will wait to see how that plays out."