Hotel chain Travelodge has issued a statement over the student plans hanging over its city centre building. Plans to convert the Travelodge hotel on Maid Marian Way into 121 studio flats for university students were approved by Nottingham City Council in January 2022.
Those behind the proposals said the conversion of the 10-storey New City House building would provide "high-quality stylish student apartments" in the heart of Nottingham by repurposing a site which is currently "tired" looking and "in need of repair". These apartments were planned to be created largely utilising the existing hotel room layout and by creating additional accommodation from the existing first floor bar/café area.
But nearly a year and a half after the proposals were passed, the hotel remains open and the granted designs have not been implemented. In an update Travelodge explained: "Our five Nottingham based hotels including our Nottingham Central Travelodge hotel situated at Maid Marian Way are all trading and getting geared up for a busy summer season."
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The building's "strong 1970s character" would be slightly altered by changes to the colour of the structure, should the plans be implemented in the future. People in Nottingham had previously voiced a mix of opinions towards the plans for the Travelodge when they were submitted to the city council in January 2021.
Nottinghamshire Live has attempted to contact applicant Nottingham Hotel Assets Limited and Nottingham Hotel Assets for comment. In a planning document, submitted by Self Architects on behalf of the applicants before the plans were approved, said: "By increasing the number of dwellings and therefore the number of residents in the local vicinity, the proposed development of this site will help to support the existing businesses and facilities thus ensuring their long term success, and the sustainability of this urban centre.
"The location of the site is inherently sustainable as it is already supported by local infrastructure and services." The update from Travelodge comes as the company, which employs 12,000 staff and has 595 hotels, has reportedly been put up for sale.
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