The Planning Applications Sub-Committee (3) of Westminster Council approved two planning applications: one for a hotel extension at 31-33 Bedford Street and one for external seating at a redeveloped hotel at 30 Grosvenor Square.

31-33 Bedford Street, London, WC2E 9ED

The Sub-Committee considered an application from Z Hotels Ltd to extend their existing Z Hotel at 31-33 Bedford Street into a ground floor restaurant unit. The extension will provide seven additional hotel bedrooms, a hotel café and an entrance and reception area. The scheme also includes the reinstatement of two windows on the Inigo Place elevation.

The application was controversial as it would mean the loss of a long-standing family-run restaurant. There were a number of objections from local people and businesses about this, with the restaurant operator highlighting that the restaurant is involved in a number of community initiatives. A petition on Change.org with 3,075 signatures objected to the loss of the restaurant tenant. Mr Anthony David Kent, representing Mackrell Solicitors, argued on behalf of the restaurant:

There is a material difference between a Class E use that provides a use to visiting members of the public and a Class C1 use which does not.

The restaurant is currently in Class E of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, which covers a wide range of commercial, business and service uses. The hotel is classified as C1, which specifically covers hotels. The point Mr Kent was making is that while the restaurant is open to all members of the public, the hotel's facilities will be limited to guests and so do not represent the same benefit to the community.

The Sub-Committee ultimately decided to approve the application unanimously but requested that the applicant work with the restaurant tenant to find an alternative location.

30 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 6AN

This application, by 30 GS NOMINEE 1 LIMITED on behalf of 30 GS Limited, was for alterations to the approved arrangements for external seating at the new Rosewood Hotel at 30 Grosvenor Square. There were two parts to the application:

1. Variation of conditions 1 and 46 of planning permission dated 18 February 2021 (RN 20/06601/FULL): This sought approval for the design of furniture and canopies in the external seating area of the hotel's ground floor restaurant and spa. The applicant also requested permission for some furniture items, including folded banquettes and parasol bases, to be left in-situ overnight.
2. Installation of permanent external planters: This sought permission to install bronze planters to define the seating areas and provide some security for diners.

The application was opposed by residents in Upper Grosvenor Street who felt that the seating would cause noise, litter and traffic problems. They also objected to the planters, arguing:

The proposal to reinstate and extend external seating areas, coupled with the introduction of permanent planter boxes and external furniture, will significantly alter the current aesthetic/visual appeal/traditional appearance and feel of the Square, and any modifications that increase the bulk or clutter of the area could detract from its character/make it feel more congested and less in keeping with its historical and cultural significance.

The residents withdrew their objections after the applicant agreed to reduce the hours of operation for the seating on the corner of Grosvenor Square and Upper Grosvenor Street, install a continuous line of planters along Upper Grosvenor Street to create a barrier between the seating and the road, and for diners to access the seating area from Grosvenor Square rather than Upper Grosvenor Street.

The application was supported by the Mayfair Neighbourhood Forum, who welcomed the solution:

The Forum considers the solution devised is sensible and therefore has no objection to the new arrangements.

The Sub-Committee ultimately decided to approve the application unanimously but added a condition requiring the planters to be maintained to a satisfactory standard.