West Park to get £250,000 boost if hotel plans are approved

Council bosses have been recommended to approve plans to demolish the Quality Hotel, on Tettenhall Road, after receiving an application in December to replace it with student accommodation and residential apartments.

The plans will go before Wolverhampton City Council's planning committee on March 24, where it will be put forward that a £260,240 off-site open space contribution from developers Sandon Investments Ltd, should be spent on play space improvements at West Park if the plans are to be approved.

The Quality Hotel, formerly the Connaught, will be knocked down and replaced with 48 student flats and 53 apartments under the plans.

Each of the 53 regular apartments would come with a parking space but there would be none available for students, who will instead be encouraged to walk, cycle or use public transport.

Since December, the limited parking spaces have raised concerns from members of the public and the nearby Vauxhall Residents Association, consisting of people living in the Upper Vauxhall Estate just off Tettenhall road.

Martin Cartwright, chair of the residents association, said: "We are not against a redevelopment at the hotel, it has been the bane of our lives for many years and we would be happy to see it go.

"However, we feel the plans to build residential and student accommodation here are naive and do not take into consideration the welfare of those living nearby.

"They are only proposing 53 parking spaces, meaning no students will be allowed to bring a car.

"They also fail to consider couples who have a car each or visitors bringing their cars.

"We already have trouble when their is a party at the hotel, which in the past has led to our residents cars being damaged."

Part of a proposed section 106 agreement for the plans, which impose a number of terms if a planning application is to be successful, recommends controlled student parking is looked into, as well as the West Park donation.

The agreement also suggests developers look into targeted recruitment and training from the local area and make 25 per cent of the residential apartments fall within the affordable housing guidelines.

The hotel was built in the 1960s and has 60 guest rooms but bosses have said the building requires a substantial upgrade and modernisation to compete with other hotels in the city.

Councillor Craig Collingswood, who represents the Park ward where the hotel is located, has previously said that the new development would 'greatly benefit the area'.