A 30-BED town centre hotel plan appeared doomed this week - because the proposed development was not good enough.

Councillors discussed the application from Cathco Properties at a meeting of the borough's planning committee on Tuesday night.

The company submitted an outline plan for a two-storey travelodge hotel on land at the LAC vehicle hire depot off the Portland Street roundabout.

But it was recommended for refusal by John Taylor, the council's director of technical services, who ruled it was of poor quality and would result in the loss of privacy to nearby residents, as the hotel windows would overlook their Arley Street homes.

The committee was told in a report by Mr Taylor: "The proposal would represent a poor quality of development on a visually prominent site adjacent to the town centre by-pass, by reason of the buildings being sited and orientated away form the site's by-pass frontage and thus making no positive contribution to the townscape of the area."

Though the plan would have been encouraged to create jobs, councillors were told better quality design was expected, given the character of the area.

Outline planning permission was granted in 1996 for a single, non-food retail unit of about 1,000 square metres.

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