Our client is the landowner of the Gables Hotel, located at Old Damson Lane, Solihull B92 9ED. The Hotel is immediately to the south of, and with access to, the A45 Coventry Road, opposite Birmingham Airport. The Hotel is located within the UK Central Hub as identified within the SLDP Proposed Policies Map and subject to an allocation within the SLPD Policy P1 (UK Central Solihull Hub Area) and UK2 (Land at Damson Parkway), and thereby its removal from the Green Belt.
The Gables Hotel presently has 18 bedrooms, running at 90% occupancy. Approximately 50% of our client’s trade is related to the NEC and Birmingham Airport. The next largest customer is Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), for whom the Hotel accommodates contract shift staff, usually up to 4 nights a week.
Our client would like to modernise and expand their hotel operations to meet the existing and growing demand arising from their existing customer base and to attract new customers, the demand of which they cannot currently accommodate. Expansion would not only achieve a more economically sustainable operation but would also provide an opportunity to modernise the accommodation and conference offer to better meet the changing needs of customers.
Despite the Hotel’s location towards the centre of the UK Central Hub, with the Birmingham Airport and NEC to the north and JLR to the south, and good access via the A45 Coventry Road, a strategic arterial road from Birmingham city centre to the M40, expansion has previously been stifled by the Green Belt designation.
In 2017, our client sought to make a significant investment in the Hotel with a major rebuilding works but was refused planning permission (PL/2017/00371/PPFL, refused 15/06/2017) for which a key reason was ‘inappropriate development within the Green Belt’. As a consequence, the Hotel been at a disadvantage to the more recent hotel development further along the A45 Coventry Road in terms of its marketability.
Accordingly, our client welcomes the opportunities arising from the UK Central Hub allocations and its removal from the Green Belt and considers that the opportunities this provides would in return provide valuable support to the key objectives of both SLPD Policy P1 and UK2 in return.
Policy P1 UK Central Solihull Hub Area
Sub paragraph 1. States “…the Hub Area offers the greatest potential for growth in the Borough …; and will make a significant contribution to the wider West Midlands economy…”
Sub paragraph 2. States “The Hub Area, indicated on the Policies Map, embraces Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham Business Park and Jaguar Land Rover, each of which are key economic assets in their own right. This Plan seeks to support the future aspirations of the key economic assets in a holistic, well connected way, and to bring forward development of the area surrounding the HS2 Interchange Station at Arden Cross.”
and
Sub paragraph 3. States “…Development proposals within the Hub will be expected to demonstrate how they achieve the following key objectives…” and
i. Contribute towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth, the continued success of the key economic assets and …
iv. Encourages the use of modes of travel other than the private car;
vi. Create distinctive and unique places with a strong sense of identity … whilst maximising the efficient use of land;
vii. Support inclusive economic growth by supporting employment and supply chain opportunities …
The Hotel is possibly the closest small hotel to the JLR plant and within walking or cycling distance. The Hotel does offer some travel and shared lift options. With a larger facility these more sustainable modes of travel would be more economic and affective. The Hotel supports the key economic assets by providing accommodation in close proximity, specifically in respect of JLR and their workforce, but also in providing accommodation for operational workers during the build phase and customers during the running of conferences, exhibitions and concerts, and for travellers arriving/departing from Birmingham Airport and in the future the HS2 railway interchange. The opportunity to undertake major works to the Hotel would enable a modernised design both internally and externally, creating a new sense of identity for the site and improving the overall impression along this key approach to Birmingham city centre.
Notably, Policy P1 provides specific support to the key assets for which it is highlighted that Sub paragraph 4 states:
In respect of Arden Cross:
ii. The Council will support proposals that include passenger facilities, offices, and residential, together with associated ancillary uses (including retail, leisure and hotel developments of an appropriate scale).
In respect of the NEC:
v. To enable the NEC to meet its future aspirations and to drive economic and employment growth, the Council will enable a broad range of developments to enhance the visitor offer, diversity facilities and increase international competitiveness.
vii. The Council will also support a broad range of ancillary and complementary facilities needed to enhance visitor experience and support operational needs. These will include hotels ….providing it is justified in terms of scale, its support for the NEC as a whole and is appropriately located within the NEC.
In respect of Birmingham Airport:
x. The Council will also support a broad range of ancillary and complementary facilities including hotels, …. Proposals should be justified in terms of scale and in terms of supporting the Airport function and be appropriately located so as not to detract from Airport function.
xi. Where justified, development for Airport related uses beyond the Airport boundary will be permitted, providing that it accords with other policies in the Plan, including Green Belt policy. This will include opportunities within the allocated employment site (UK2).
In respect of JLR:
xiii. The Council will support and encourage the development of JLR within its boundary defined in this Local Plan. This will include a broad range of development needed to maintain or enhance the function of JLR as a major manufacturer of vehicles.
xiv. Site UK2 on the Policies Map, will be released from the Green Belt to accommodate employment development, including that required for JLR operational needs or to enable JLR component suppliers, needed to directly support JLR operational needs, to be located close to the plant
In respect of Birmingham Business Park:
xvii. The Council will also support a broad range of ancillary or complementary uses needed to enhance the attraction of the business park to occupiers. These could include hotels and commercial/business/service uses of a scale that does not compete with existing or planned facilities outside of Birmingham Business Park.
It is clear that our client’s Hotel is ideally placed to support these key economic assets and as an existing hotel on a key strategic approach road to the city centre. Accordingly, our client supports Policy P1 and in return would provide support to meeting its objectives.
Policy UK2 Land at Damson Parkway
Sub paragraph 2 identifies that the allocated site is to be developed in accordance with Concept Masterplan, that is yet to be developed and thereby not included within the Solihull Local Plan Concept Masterplans (October 2020) that forms part of the plan-making process.
Our client welcomes the future development of the Concept Masterplan as an opportunity to provide certainty to their future investment plans and as a landowner within the allocation area requests the opportunity to actively contribute to its formation.