Captains Club Hotel and Spa would become 'world class offering' by addition of fourth storey

A MULTI-MILLION-POUND plan to expand Captain’s Club Hotel and Spa in Christchurch has been welcomed by tourism bosses who say it will transform it into a “world class offering”.

The four-star hotel has submitted an application to add an extension and a fourth storey to create 29 extra bedrooms and seven luxury suites – six with balconies overlooking the river.

BCP Council’s tourism department has welcomed the idea, saying in a report: “This proposal makes a positive contribution to BCP’s tourist accommodation and can only improve the facilities offered to guests, making it a world class offer and, therefore, tourism fully support this proposal.”

The hotel’s bedrooms will rise to 65 if the plans are given the go-ahead by BCP Council.

Not everyone is in favour, however, with one local resident commenting after a public consultation last year: “I am very concerned about the additional scale that would be brought about by the proposed increase in height.

“It would exacerbate the dominance of the building, which already is imposing for the context of the site.”

Charlie Morgan, a director of FiveM Developers, which is working in partnership with the hotel’s owners, described it as a “really exciting proposal for Christchurch”.

He said: “It’s a design of high quality, providing rooms at the upper end of the hotel industry which the town really needs.

“The last few years, due to Covid, have been really hard for the hotel industry. This proposal will safeguard the future of the hotel which will continue as one, instead of having to close and perhaps be turned into apartments.”

Mr Morgan said that following a public consultation last year, plans for the fourth storey had been “stepped back”.

He said: “At first it was going to be a proper top floor. But we listened to people’s concerns and reduced the size of it so that if you are at ground floor level you can’t really see it.”

Mr Morgan said the hotel intended to take over ownership of the car park outside which at present can be used by anyone.

The application said the largely wooden-clad rooftop extension will be “set back from the façade, creating a lightweight feel”.

On the top floor there will be five bedrooms plus seven luxury suites. The rest of the new rooms will be in the rear extension.

There will also be five bedrooms on the top floor. In the rear “infill” extension there will be 24 bedrooms.

A BCP Council planning report revealed that there are “some concerns with the addition of such an extensive fourth level”.

It added: “The design of the building does lend itself to an additional storey. However, it could make the building overly dominant and intrusive in this setting.

“The slight setback of this level is welcomed but it is not considered it goes far enough to reduce the impact of the extended building on the visual amenities of the area.”

So far there have been three objections to the plans.

One said the plans would be “overbearing” and a “visual eyesore”.

Another said: “This will impact on the street view.”

A third warned of parking and traffic issues.