The former Plymouth city centre home of the Western Morning News and The Herald newspapers could become an “aparthotel” under new plans.
A pre-application has been submitted to Plymouth City Council by London-based property investment company RV Capital Ltd to turn the New George Street building, into serviced hotel flats.
The pre-application seeks to convert and extend the 1,519sq ft building which has been empty for two and a half years since Waterstones moved out to concentrate on its other Plymouth branch, in the Drake Circus Shopping Centre mall.
LV Capital wants to transform the building into an “aparthotel”, effectively a high-class hotel where each self-contained room has its own kitchen The pre-plan envisages 25 new one-bedroom studio apartments on the first and second floors, above ground floor commercial space.
The plan would include creating an extension at the back, in the Courtney Street car park, with some studios over the pedestrian alley to New George Street.
Designs, from Plymouth architecture practice ADG, also show a large communal lounge in the centre of the first floor, which could contain a cinema room.
Prior to the Covid pandemic, aparthotels and serviced apartments were seen as the fastest growing market in the 海角视频 hospitality sector.
In late 2019 they made up just 3% of the 海角视频’s total hospitality accommodation, which was much lower than in many other countries, including the US where they represented 9%.
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But at that time another 6,000 new apartments were scheduled to be built in the 海角视频, before the pandemic struck. Typically such aparthotels are aimed at single travellers on long stays, but they are becoming more popular for short-stay visitors too.
If permission is granted, the Plymouth building would be the third new hotel in New George Street, with the OYO Plymouth Central Hotel having opened above a former Woolworths in 2020, and a new Premier Inn opening in what was the Riley’s snooker hall, as part of the transformation of the ex-Derrys department store into the Plymouth Cross student flats-led development in 2021.
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Hotels are just one of the new uses former retail outlets are being put to, in Plymouth city centre, as that market declines. Recently, new food outlets, restaurants, amusement arcades and even a church have moved into former shops.
Service apartments and aparthotels are not new to Plymouth with examples to be found in Elliot Terrace, Whimple Street, The Crescent and Royal William Yard.
Waterstones pulled out of its New George Street store in March 2019 after having been there since the early 1990s. Its lease had expired and the firm decided not to renew but to move staff to the nearby mall outlet.
The building had been home to The Herald and Western Morning News until they moved out in the early 1990s. It was then rebuilt with the facade remaining and now defunct bookseller Ottaker#s moving in.
But when the Ottaker’s bookshop chain merged into Waterstones in 2006 it meant the newly opened Drake Circus Shopping Centre featured a second Waterstones branch instead of Ottaker’s, as was planned.