Hoxton Hotel Re-Applies for Planning Permission

The developers of the proposed Hoxton Hotel at 65 Shepherd's Bush Green have re-applied for planning permission to demolish the old buildings and build a new hotel.  If you're thinking "but didn't they already get planning permission for that?" you would be right.  Planning permission for the site was granted back in 2017, but the owner of a flat in nearby Pennard Rd successfully challenged it by way of Judicial Review, and managed to get the plans quashed.  So now the developers are going back for round two.

What's this all about?

Threshold & Union House 65 Shepherd's Bush Green

Planning permission, and planning law. Back in April 2017 details were revealed of a new proposed Hoxton Hotel to be built on the west side of Shepherd's Bush Green. The proposed new hotel would displace the old Post Office, and the existing buildings were to be demolished.

The image at the top shows the Dorsett Hotel on the left, and the proposed Hoxton Hotel on the right.

On the right you can see the unlovely 1960s buildings which were (and, in theory, still are) to be demolished.

Was the local community supportive?
Generally, yes. The developers consulted widely and the Hammersmith Society, guardians of good architecture in our neighbourhood, was broadly supportive of the scheme, saying that "redevelopment is appropriate for the site", since the existing building "makes no positive contribution to the west side of Shepherds Bush Green". In other words, they are ugly.

Why was the planning permission defeated?
The case of Paul -v- Ormondroyd was heard in the planning court at the Royal Courts of Justice, before Ms Justine Thornton QC, sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge. The judgment in the case is rather complex and has to do with a "45 degree set back angle general standard", and a "Daylight and Sunlight Assessment", which were apparently breached by the developer's plans.

As always, planning law is very complex, and even developers armed with expensive consultants and lawyers are often defeated in the courts.  For example Orion, the developers of Shepherd's Bush Market, spent many years and millions of pounds trying to redevelop the market, all in vain. Pity anyone, even wealthy developers, trying to make sense of the British planning system.

Who is applying for planning permission now?
The applicant is called "Newco 8915 Ltd", which is presumably a holding company of some kind, with the actual developers standing behind it. The new plans are, once again, for a Hoxton hotel.

If you would like to comment on the plans, you can do so here. There are 160 pages of documents to download, so better make a cup of tea first.

The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story, email us at shepherdsbushblog(at)gmail.com. And don't forget to add your opinion in the comments section below.