Controversial plans to convert a former Farmfoods store in Bathgate town centre into a short-term let hotel have been backed by the Scottish Government.
Developers appealed after West Lothian Council rejected the plans in September.
Councillors across the chamber in the Development Management Committee (DMC) rejected the proposal saying the room sizes were too small and, with over 300 such rooms already in the town, it was an over-provision.
This week local SNP councillor Pauline Stafford reinforced her earlier criticism of the plans and expressed disappointment that the proposal would now go ahead.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I am disappointed with this decision. There is an excess of short-term let accommodation in Bathgate which, to date, has added very little vibrancy or vitality to the town centre.
“This was a poor design in a very visible and prominent location which I felt would further detract from the long-term interests of our town centre.”
Philip McLean, a Reporter appointed by Holyrood’s Division of Planning and Environmental Appeals ( DPEA) backed the plans by Muir Developments Ltd to convert the former store in South Bridge Street, in the heart of the town, into a 39-bed hotel with associated car parking.
Mr McLean dismissed commentary from councillors serving on the council’s DMC on the small size of the rooms and lack of staff facilities.
In his judgement he wrote: “I do not consider these design matters raised by the council to be material planning considerations in this instance.
“Room sizes and the choice of guest facilities are matters for a hotel operator and their chosen business model, while certain aspects of space standards are also governed by building standards.”
The Reporter added: “Staff facilities and the welfare of employees are matters for employment law, health and safety, and building standards. The council has not indicated any way in which these internal design matters might have external impacts or are otherwise material in this case.”
Granting planning permission, the Reporter said: “The council does not present any specific evidence to explain its position that there is an over provision of visitor accommodation in the area, although it refers to amenity, noise, and waste management concerns.
“The actual level of existing provision is not in itself a consideration in the relevant development plan policies, which do not contain any cap or quota for visitor accommodation uses.”
The original planning application attracted four objections. One said: “There is no requirement for additional short-term accommodation in the area, with the former Dacoll building at the rear being utilised for this purpose.
Another said: “Short-term lets, by their nature, do not provide the same stability and job opportunities for the local workforce that established businesses, such as hotels and inns, offer.”
At the September meeting which rejected the plan, Councillor Stafford slated cramped bedrooms with “not even room for a chair”, and lack of staff or guest facilities.
Fellow SNP councillor Pauline Clark, who seconded refusal of the application, told the DMC the hotel would likely be to house homeless people, and added: “I think it’s doubtful this hotel will add any vitality to the town of Bathgate.”
Conservative group leader, Councillor Damian Doran-Timson, had warned the meeting there was a danger of falling into the trap of “not on my doorstep, but somewhere else.”
Nevertheless, he too expressed doubts about the number and quality of jobs promised by development.
With three former office buildings in Bathgate now either converted, or in the process of conversion, short-term let accommodation appears to be an increasingly popular choice for developers looking at sites in West Lothian.
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
