A property developer has won a planning appeal to demolish the former La Gondola Hotel & Restaurant in Derby and replace it with flats.
Back in January the city council voted down plans for the Osmaston Road building to be knocked down to make way for two new apartment blocks of 42 flats.
Councillors went against the advice of planning officers, fearing the flats would not have enough parking, leading to local streets becoming jammed with cars. They turned down similar plans for the same site last year.
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In its heyday, the hotel and restaurant was regarded as one of Derby's best with the venue regularly packed out. But over the years the business declined and struggled. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay tried to turn it around as part of his famous Kitchen Nightmares TV series but the business eventually went into liquidation in 2009.
The hotel has stood empty for years and been described as dangerous with warning notices advising people to stay away.
The building stood empty for 14 years prior to being purchased by EB Property Solutions, which part of the Derby-based Elgie Group in 2021.
After the original plans for demolition and redevelopment were refused in December 2021, Matthew Montague Architects redesigned the site and submitted a revised planning application which was also turned down.
Uttoxeter planning consultants JMI Planning were brought in and an appeal was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, which has now given the go-ahead.
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The 42 apartments will be split between 34 two-bedroomed flats and eight one-bedroomed ones.
Matthew Montague said: “This is good news; the approved scheme doesn’t dominant the street scene and addresses the scale of the former hotel, the building has been in a state of disrepair for many years, it is great that it will now be regenerated.“
Sam Elgie, of the Elgie Group, which plans to sell the site, said: “We are delighted to have received permission for the scheme it’s been a very long process but we can now move forwards.”
Matthew Montague Architects has designed some of Derbyshire’s best-known buildings, including Lonsdale House, the dining room at Repton Preparatory School and multiple projects at Derby County FC.
It is now helping to bring the University of Derby’s city masterplan to life which includes redeveloping the area between Agard Street and Nuns Street, creating a green link between its enterprise centre with planned business school, which is due to open next year.