Rushbond Plc

Council's offices to become £15m hotel

A Landmark building in the heart of York will be transformed into a luxury hotel when the city council vacates the historic premises as part of its multi-million pound relocation to a new heardquarters.

York Council's planning committee yesterday approved blueprints to turn its Grade II listed St Leonards Place offices into the 88-bedroom hotel in a project due to cost more than £15m.

While an operator for the hotel has yet to be confirmed, the developers behind the scheme, the Leeds based Rushbond Group, claimed work is due to start next year.

Fears have been raised that the number of hotels in the city is nearing saturation point, but the planning committee's chairman, Coun David Horton, claimed the new development would boost the luxury end of the market.  He said "It is obviously a step forward to securing the future of what is a stunning building in an ideal location.  But I would hope that an operator is confirmed in the near future.  What we cannot afford is for the building to remain vacant for a long period as that is when its condition will deteriorate".

The complex of buildings covers St Leonards Place and Grade II listed premises in Museum Street, and sit within view of York Minster.  The hotel development will include a spa, conferencing facilities and two restaurants.

Rushbond's managing director, Jonathan Maud said "This fabulous collection of important listed buildings is now much in need of a high quality renovation.  They lend themselves to a very different type of hotel, which will widen the range of accommodation available at the top end of the market".

York Council's long awaited relocation to a new base in West Offices, which were built in the 1840's as York's original railway station and station hotel, will begin at the end of the year.  The council is having to pay crippling £1m a year rents with its operations scattered across the city.  The money which is being used to rent buildings will instead be ploughed into repaying the £43.8m cost of the relocation project.