Planned redevelopment of King Charles Hotel in Gillingham criticised by Historic England and KCC20/4/2019
A 'problematic' planning application seeking approval for the redevelopment of the King Charles Hotel in Brompton Road, Gillingham has been met with criticism from Historic England and Kent County Council (KCC). The proposed works will include the demolition of the hotel's unused nightclub and conferencing suites where a four storey block of 57 flats will be built, as well as a rooftop expansion to the existing hotel building which will serve as a new fourth floor with 25 additional bedrooms for guests. The proposed redevelopment as seen from Brompton Road - © GDM Architects Built in 1948, the complex was originally a Naval, Army and Air Force Institute Club (NAAFI) until it closed in 1962. It was then converted into a hotel under the name 'The Aurora Hotel', before being re-branded to the present King Charles Hotel in 1980 by the family that continue to run it to this very day. The popular nightclub venue of the hotel ('The Excalibur') closed in the late 90s and has stood empty ever since. However, concerns were raised by Historic England who felt that the building of a four storey block on part of the former NAAFI Club site was 'problematic' due to its scale. Alice Brockway, Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas at Historic England, said: "At this height the replacement building will be far more dominant in the street scene. "This has the potential to harm the intended prominence of the Royal Engineers Museum in the townscape." "We therefore conclude that the scheme causes some harm to the significance of the scheduled Lines, the grade II listed Royal Engineers Museum and to the conservation area as a whole." As well as being close to the scheduled monument of the Chatham Lines, which were constructed in 1757 to defend the Royal Dockyard at Chatham from landward attack, the King Charles Hotel sits at the heart of the Brompton Lines Conservation Area. The King Charles Hotel is opposite to the Royal Engineers Museum. Kent County Council has flagged concerns over the site's potential for 'archaeological remains' associated with the area's military past. Ben Found, Senior Archaeological Officer at KCC, said: "Archaeological remains have been observed at the MidKent College site and at the neighbouring Black Lion [Medway Park] sports complex. "Such archaeological remains may be disturbed by the proposed demolition and subsequent construction works." He also slammed GDM Architect's existing Heritage Statement as it doesn't consider the hotel building to be a heritage asset, which being a surviving example of post-war 'super NAAFI club', should be of "some historic interest." GDM Architects, who are acting as an agent on behalf of King Charles Hotel, strongly denied any historical importance of the building, stating: "The demolition will not directly affect any heritage asset. "The site has a low potential to include heritage assets with archaeological interest." "It has not been part of an historical event and does not have a strong community or symbolic value. Part of the former RAAFI Club building will be demolished - © Rainham History It is anticipated that the proposed block of flats will provide a mixture of market dwellings (75%) and affordable housing (25%), in the form of 32 one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedroom units and 1 three-bedroom unit.
A total of 181 parking spaces will be provided as part of the development, with 65 spaces for the residential block and 116 spaces for the hotel. Objections have already been lodged by a number of local residents who feel the development is out of character to its surrounding area due to the scale and materials of the new block. Kent County Council has advised planning officers at Medway Council to seek a programme of archaeological work in any forthcoming planning consent. Meanwhile, Historic England recommends Medway Council requests for more information to assess whether the new block of flats will affect the visual links to the landmark Royal Engineers Museum and if it will be possible to negotiate with the applicant to lower the height of the building.
Brad
25/4/2019 17:21:04
I don't see any issue with the plans.
Mary Butcher
4/5/2019 20:11:03
This building would be out of character with the local surroundings it is to big and doesn't fit in with Old Brompton area. I would rather see it built elsewhere in the towns.
Keith Prince
30/11/2019 09:59:27
Compared to the huge amount of development in the area its regeneration fits in well let alone its it's perfect positioned for visitors to area . Comments are closed.
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