Wesley Hotel

[not4me]

Did anyone spot Jomast renewing/modifying their planning application to convert the Wesley into a hotel. I've no objections myself - anything to bring the building back into use - but is anyone wondering like me where all the demand for these hotels is coming from? Not much point in coverting the Wesley if it sees The Grand shutting down soon afterwards. I did hear a rumour that The Grand was up for sale - could be bull***t, of course.

[brassed off monkey]

Did anyone spot Jomast renewing/modifying their planning application to convert the Wesley into a hotel. I've no objections myself - anything to bring the building back into use - but is anyone wondering like me where all the demand for these hotels is coming from? Not much point in coverting the Wesley if it sees The Grand shutting down soon afterwards. I did hear a rumour that The Grand was up for sale - could be bull***t, of course.

Finishing the Marina might be a good idea before they start anymore "Developments".

[The Great Dictator]

The Marina will never be finished and never look finished.

[marky]

I can't see that happening, though I have heard talk of the Civic 'coming to the end of its useful life' and a plan to rebuild being floated. We could learn a lot from the Victorians, at least were constructing public buildings is concerned. No talk then of 40 year life-spans.
Apparently the Council is moving out of Hanson House shortly.

[no6bus]

i heard they were moving out of hanson house and converting it to student accomodation

[marky]

sounds plausible...

[brassed off monkey]

The Big Tin Shed saga has`nt been mentioned for a while, i wonder if the civic rumours are a prelude to moving HBC to a new luxury waterfront location.

But as mentioned the fact that the present civic is only around 40 years old is a perfect example of bad planning & bad design, a prime example of how not to build for the future.

But back to the "Topic", converting the Wesley to a hotel could indeed see the demise of The Grand Hotel, which would present problems in itself, the building is one of the most distinctive in Hartlepool & allowing any development that may lead to The Grand becoming a run down cheapo hotel would be detrimental to the town......( has that stopped silly planning c**k ups in the past ).

I can`t see the Wesley being big enough to be a major hotel development, & i don`t think Hartlepool is ready for a "Boutique Hotel" yet,  I can see the tourist blurb now......... Come & stay at our town centre hotel, handy for the "Dole Office" & the unused "Transport Interchange" the planning commitee should be thinking long & hard about what they allow to happen to The Wesley....

But they should have adopted that policy when allowing the Marina to be developed as it has been, so i wont hold my breath.

[testing times]

I don't think they can turn down an application on the grounds that it may affect the viability of an adjacent business. As a matter of fact, the things that they can object to are very limited and they've had their fingers burnt financially on appeal when they have tried to do so.

[notenoughsaid]

   Just a little tale re the Wesley Chapel,  I accept slightly off thread but I feel in shows the lack of vision of local councils past and present.

   In the mid 60's (just after the Chapel ceased to be a place of worship)  a local lad called called Stephan Hayward,who's folks  used to run a cafe called the "Yorkshire Lassie Coffee Bar" situated in premises now used by Sicilianos on York Rd. applied for planning permission to turn the building into an arts centre, theatre workshop for creative arts and several similar cultural activities. Being a successful student at the local Art School as it was known he had a vision.   It was promptly turned down as being unsuitable for a former  chapel.   Instead the preferred option was for it to remain empty giving the  local scrap thieves, vandals and feral pigeons leave to do what they wished for several years until a developer came along to turn it into a nightclub and health club. By this time the ravages of time had made the place an eyesore with thousands of poundsworth of damage having been caused. Besides this it was a death trap for anybody bold enough or daft enough to enter it.. The council were glad to allow such a developement to get rid of it.   What a pity the initial suggestion had not been adopted and for once Hartlepool may have been ahead of the times with other places jumping at the chance these days to develop such premises.   An opportunity missed.

[mk1]

You forget that this allowed someone to make a fortune by stealing and selling the stained glass windows.............

And whilst on about the Yorkshire Lassie (with a bit of Z Cars thrown in!)..............