Golders Green hotel development wins planning approval

The proposals include a new four-storey hotel with 114 rooms and an existing building being refurbished to offer another 16 rooms, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

The Unique Hotel plans (credit Perry + Bell Ltd Architects)

A major hotel redevelopment near Golders Green Station has been approved by Barnet councillors.

The application to refurbish and expand Hotel Unique in Finchley Road was given unanimous support by the local authority’s planning committee last Wednesday (14th).

The scheme will see the current three-star hotel expanded to 130 rooms across two buildings, in an attempt to help rejuvenate the surrounding area.

It will see the demolition of existing car wash facilities and “ancillary outbuildings” on 4 Golders Green Crescent. The locally-listed Refectory Pub, as well as a valve house building at the site, will be retained.

The proposals will see construction of a new four-storey hotel building with 114 rooms. The existing three-storey building fronting Finchley Road will be refurbished to provide a coffee shop and an additional 16 rooms.

The two sections are set to deliver 130 new rooms overall. They are to be connected within the hotel via a two-storey “glazed link” building.

The application was ‘called in’ to the local authority’s planning committee by Childs Hill councillor Cory Turner, who had expressed concern about the impact of the scheme on neighbours, as well as the loss of car wash and parking facilities.

Speaking last week, another representative from Childs Hill, Conservative councillor Adam Gheasuddin, said that he supported the scheme – provided it is delivered correctly.

Addressing committee members, he said: “There are potential benefits: in addition to the job opportunities for locals, the proposal would regenerate an underused site, improve the Finchley Road frontage and make use of a location with excellent public transport connections.”

Cllr Gheasuddin said the proposals would “provide a welcome opportunity” to turn a site “known” to be associated with antisocial behaviour “into an active part of the community again”.

The retention of the “historic” Refectory Pub was also a welcome part of the proposals, the Tory ward member added.

However, Cllr Gheasuddin argued that the benefits of the redevelopment “must balance against the impact on existing residents”.

This, he said, would involve “tightly managed” conditions on its construction in order to minimise issues such as noise and disruption.

Planning officers hope that, by redeveloping a useful, but not particularly beautiful, car wash and its surrounding area, the scheme will “enhance” the look and feel of the location.

Councillors on the local authority’s planning committee appeared to share this view, giving unanimous approval for the proposals.

The application was submitted by Pressfield Limited which, according to Companies House, is majority-owned by Gyda Properties Limited.

Ten years ago, Gyda was fined £1,000 by Barnet Council for its involvement with a building in Golders Green where environmental health officers had issued a prohibition order. The lives of up to 20 residents were put at risk, the council found. A number of other people and businesses were prosecuted as well, with £145,000 of fines issued in total.

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