UK: Plans for an Art Deco-style aparthotel in Sheringham have been approved by the North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) despite concerns of the property’s “faux” design clash with its surroundings.
The 37-suite Art Deco aparthotel will be located next to Sheringham’s Reef leisure centre. Apartments will feature cooking facilities and living room areas, with limited on-site amenities such as a bar and laundrette on the ground floor.
It marks the second time that the NNDC have considered plans for the site. The recent approval gained 11 votes for the project, with one against and one abstention.
Sheringham councillor Liz Withington said: “Sheringham only has six hectares of employment land I’ve identified, so every scrap of that matters greatly. [This] will be a missed opportunity for the town.
“There is a feeling that this, as Art Deco, is actually out of character with the town because the majority of the town is Edwardian or end of Victorian. It certainly doesn’t marry up with the spacious aspect golf club opposite,” she added.
Stody ward councillor Andrew Brown supported the application but also agreed with Withington’s concerns. He said: “It’s disappointing this site couldn’t be developed for employment or for social housing. I don’t think it is the best design, it is a faux Art Deco design, not using particularly local materials. Although I will support this, I will only be applauding it with one hand, I’m afraid.”
