Former Leicester hotel to be turned into flats

The former Park Hotel dates back 130 years

A 130-year-old hotel in Leicester's London Road can be turned into flats, planning officers have ruled.

Planning permission was granted in June 2020 to turn the former Park Hotel into student accommodation.

However, this work was never started and the permission expired in June 2023.

Now, applicant Shiraz Karim has been given permission to turn the building into flats for general residential purposes.

Eight new apartments are proposed across five floors in the building, which sits on the corner of University Road.

The building also has a basement level which is set to be turned into a café after Leicester City Council planning officers approved the scheme as a whole.

The property is of "high architectural and historic merit", officers ruled, and has become run down over the years, they said, adding the "possibility of the building being repurposed and renovated is welcomed".

Officers accepted there were a number of constraints regarding the conversion of the building, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

They said it was unfortunate future residents would not have balconies or an outside area, but said the layout of the building would make it difficult to provide this and there were parks and other amenities close by to compensate.

Similarly, one of the flats to the rear was judged to have "poor levels of light and outlook" as it had only one window and the buildings to the rear were in close proximity to the window.

However, this was considered acceptable "given the limitations of converting an existing building of significant building conservation value".