Commenting on the proposals just announced, Cheltenham Civic Society’s Chair, Andrew Booton, said: “It is very encouraging that developers believe that the council’s office building in the Prom may have a viable future as an upmarket hotel.
“While there have been a number of budget hotel developments over the years, Cheltenham has not seen a significant expansion of luxury hotel accommodation in many decades – most of the upmarket hotel developments having been restorations and upgrades of existing accommodation.
“The Grade II* listed municipal building already benefits from just looking like a classy hotel. And introducing such a use into what is perhaps the most prestigious part of the Prom could generate a major uplift to the vitality of the town centre.
“However, it is very early days and we must be cautious about the deliverability of such a scheme. Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) has been in talks with the owners of Cavendish House for more than four years now and we have yet to see a planning application. if it takes anywhere as near as long to bring this hotel proposal forward, the risk looms large that both the municipal offices and CavHouse could be boarded up at the same time – which, if allowed to happen, could have a very adverse impact on the rest of the Prom.
“But the long-term benefits of this hotel scheme could be huge. Not only would the town centre gain an increase in business, footfall and overall vitality, but CBC itself could benefit from the sale – potentially to the tune of £20m or more. That would enable it to both rehouse itself and undertake some much-needed and desirable improvements to the town centre. Though whether in fact CBC would be the beneficiary will depend on the move towards creating one or more unitary authorities for Gloucestershire.
“We look forward to engaging with the developer over the coming months. They might also find it informative to read the Civic Society’s thoughts on a town centre masterplan that we published in our quarterly newsletter, OurTown, during 2022 and 2023.”
BACKGROUND NOTES
Upmarket hotel developments in Cheltenham over the past 20 years or so include: the George Hotel, Hotel du Vin and MalMaison – all refurbishments of existing hotel accommodation.
131 on the Prom also created 36 additional upmarket hotel rooms.
At the end of the 1980s, the Stakis Hotel Group (now part of Hilton) gained consent for a new 136-bed, 4-star hotel on Portland Street (on what is currently the Portland Street car park), but the development did not go ahead due to the 1990 economic downturn.
