Riverside hotel approved despite ‘barely enough parking’ claims

The applicant said the hotel will provide ‘modern guest accommodation’ for the area

Plans to add guest rooms to a riverside restaurant have been given the go ahead, despite concerns about parking. Quay House in Quayside, Ely, is set to undergo a transformation, with plans first approved in January for the first floor to be turned into a restaurant.

Then in April, plans were submitted for phase two to turn the second floor into three hotel rooms with en-suites. The proposals also included adding additional dining to this floor, a reading room and lounge ancillary for the restaurant.

The applicant said the hotel rooms would put the building into “long-term use” and it would introduce “modern guest accommodation” to the area. They also said it would “strengthen the building’s economic sustainability” and contribute to the “vitality of the Ely riverside area”.

These plans have now been approved by East Cambridgeshire District Council. There had been some objections to the plans prior to approval, with concerns raised over parking and traffic in the area, as well as the impact on nearby residents.

One person, who lives in Quayside, said there were “barely enough parking spaces” in the area already. They added: “There is precious little space for large/delivery etc vehicles to turn or manoeuvre in/around our homes not accounting for what will be a new multi-use premises.

“The scheme now viewed in the round is not a welcoming change to the peace of the Georgian riverside area.” The objector also said the “mainly peaceful” riverside area would be “unduly compromised/prejudiced” with the new plans.

Another person in Cardinals Way raised concerns about the potential noise and impact on “residential character”. They said: “I feel the additional plans for a function room on the first floor will generate additional, inappropriate levels of noise.

“The room will face the residential properties behind Quay House and with open windows in the summer, and likely music etc, noise will carry across the Bishops Walk development and Back Lane, late into the evening.

“Noise levels are already increasingly high, especially in the summer months from the Maltings and RBK. I have conditional support for the proposal for the restaurant, but I believe this new proposal seeks to turn the project into something that will change the character of the area, contrary to the public plans for it.”

The applicant said that Cambridgeshire County Council’s adopted parking standards generated a theoretical requirement of 11 customer spaces and six staff spaces. The applicant said due to the site’s “sustainable location” and proximity to public car parks, this could be provided without dedicated spaces onsite.