LUCCOMBE MANOR’S PLANS TO ADD MORE BEDROOMS REFUSED AGAIN

A Shanklin hotel will not be allowed to add more bedrooms after plans have been turned down for a third time. The owners of Luccombe Manor, Garden Isle Hotels, were hoping to extend the clifftop retreat to meet increased demand. It sought permission to build a 2-storey extension onto one of the hotel’s existing ones, which would add 13 new rooms. The plans, however, have been refused by the Isle of Wight Council for the third time for the same reason. The authority says it would be visually dominant and an intrusive addition by way of its position, size, design and appearance. Although changes had been made to the extension plans over the years, the council felt it did not overcome the previous reasons for refusal and the design ‘did not respond’ to the character of the original manor building. In its decision report, the authority said the hotel, which overlooks the Bay, has several extensions already but they were generally ‘subordinate in scale’ or set back. Because of the length of the proposed extension, its scale, uniform height and resultant mass, the council said it would ‘substantially reduce’ the feeling of space between Luccombe Manor and the neighbouring Luccome Hall. The extension would ‘erode’ the landscaped areas, which contribute to the character of this part of the coastline, the council said. The decision can be appealed, should the applicants wish, to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.