Plans approved to demolish former Kenilworth hotel to make way for homes

Plans for a former hotel and conference centre in Kenilworth to be torn down to make way for 55 homes have been given the green light.

These proposals were submitted in February and approved by Warwick District Council’s planning committee on April 16.

There were more than 20 objections against the plans including from Kenilworth Town Council.

Many objections were also from residents, citing reasons including that the site should be converted not demolished, concerns about infrastructure and loss of trees and habitats,.

Prior to the meeting, the application had been recommended for approval by planning officers as it shows “compliance with the DPD” – which was an issue when the plans went before the planning committee in December 2023.

The DPD is Warwick District Council’s Net zero carbon development plan document.

Those plans were rejected “on the grounds that the sustainability of the proposed dwellings did not comply with the Net Zero DPD which will be adopted imminently.”

The plans thrown out in December also gathered more than 20 objections and after the planning committee’s decision a petition was also set up by a Kenilworth resident to try and save the building.

The hotel and conference centre had fallen into disuse since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in March 2020 and during that time, the business went into administration and a potential operator to continue the business could not be found.

The site is made up of the “original house known as ‘Woodside’ (originally ‘Glass House’), a historic stables range and a number of later 20th century additions.