UK: London Hotel Group (LHG) has secured planning permission to turn a previously consented residential scheme into a 221-key aparthotel in Tooting, south London.
Situated on a vacant 0.5 acre brownfield site on Tooting High Street, the development will include a café and restaurant, plus a rebuilt community club house and public green space.
Christian Desira, director at LHG, said: “Tooting is a lively and growing area, attracting residents and tourists alike. Our new £40million aparthotel development responds to the needs of the local community by creating a purpose-built community hub, as well as meeting a currently unfulfilled need for hotel accommodation for visitors, in and around the Tooting area. The apart-hotel will be operated by a well-known international hotel brand, and will achieve a four star rating.”
The consented design creates “a simple, high quality building that uses a pared back palette of materials to respond to the character of the area”. The old club house will be rebuilt with a safe landscaped courtyard and children’s play area plus a café.
The public areas of the aparthotel such as reception, lobby, cafe and restaurant will be on the ground floor, with floor-to-ceiling glass panels expanding the active frontage for passers-by, and including the entrances to the new community club and outdoor amenity area. The new green space will include seating and play areas, mixed with planting.
“LHG has an enviable track record of well received developments, such as the £90 million hospitality hub at 585-603 London Road, Croydon, and the innovative 181 room landmark Best Western Plus London Wembley Hotel. This scheme is a practical example of where we were able to convert a previously granted residential scheme into a stylish and viable aparthotel,” said Desira.
Formerly used as the Tooting Constitutional Club, the buildings and external areas had been vacant since 2013 and had fallen into a state of disrepair when LHG acquired the site in August 2017, with an existing planning consent for 45 residential units. The scheme is expected to start on site August 2018 with a provisional completion date of July 2020, with an anticipated opening in August of the same year.
