North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) has granted planning permission to build 17 town houses on land either side of the Royal Hotel in Ashby de la Zouch.
The application was reported to a meeting of the district council’s planning committee in August 2023. At that meeting, members resolved to grant planning permission, subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement – the obligations of which would secure the renovation of the hotel.
After negotiation with the hotel’s owner – Oakland Hotels Limited – the Section 106 agreement was completed on Tuesday 23 July 2024.
The development and sale of the town houses on land surrounding the hotel will now fund its renovation, and ultimately bring it back into use.
The Royal Hotel closed in 2018 due to financial pressures and the need for investment to bring the building up to modern standards, and has remained empty ever since.
Since its closure, the owners installed CCTV across the site to monitor both the building and the car park, boarded up the windows and installed fencing around the whole site.
Conservation officers from NWLDC have inspected the building regularly to ensure it has been maintained in good condition whilst closed.
However, the Grade II listed building was included on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in 2021.
Councillor Richard Blunt, Leader of NWLDC, said: “Since the Royal Hotel’s closure in 2018, North West Leicestershire District Council has carried out a huge amount of work with the owners to not only protect and maintain the building whilst it stood empty, but also find a viable way to bring it back into use.
“The planning permission granted to Oakland Hotels Limited paves the way for the hotel’s continued refurbishment and eventual reopening.
“It also demonstrates the owner’s commitment to ensuring that the hotel remains an important and prominent part of Ashby’s heritage.
“I am delighted that the Royal Hotel’s future should now be secure, and that local people will be able to enjoy and appreciate this historic building for generations to come.”
