Bid to transform Icon Hotel in Luton into block of flats and retail units

Plans have been submitted to turn a Luton town centre hotel into a block of flats and retail units.

Applicant Franco Anacreonte wants to demolish the Icon Hotel in Stuart Street and replace it with an 18-storey building and six commercial units.

There would be 102 flats consisting of 21 three-bedroom, 57 two-bed and 24 one-bedroom apartments.

The hotel's website states: "The Icon Boutique Hotel was purposely designed to be as diverse as possible from every other hotel and accommodation provider in Luton.

"We go further to deliver unrivalled customer services in a quirky, luxury home-from-home retreat.

"We genuinely care about our guests and staff, and we constantly strive to make a difference.

"We are generally recognised as being Luton’s number one hotel having won (online American travel company) Tripadvisor's certificate of excellence awards eight years in a row and inducted in its hall of fame.

"Totally unique to the Icon is Luton’s only wood-fired pizza oven providing genuine traditional Neapolitan pizza’s and classic Italian cuisine set in our Piano Bar and Snug Lounge."

The hotel has 62 rooms, according to its website. The plans are due to be considered by the borough council's development management committee in due course.

Mr Anacreonte, who's described as the founder/owner of the Icon Hotel on the online business network LinkedIn, is also behind plans to demolish the Linton Hotel on Tennyson Road and replace it with 62 apartments in a four-storey building.

That application is due to be considered by the committee tomorrow (Weds 23rd) and is recommended for approval by planning officers.

Two objections have been posted already on the borough council website against the proposals to demolish the Icon Hotel.

Ann McNally said: "Please work with the existing architecture. In 20 years this town is going to be filled with ugly, dated skyscrapers.

"The Icon Hotel is one of the few, unique, and attractively curved buildings. This would be a great loss to the town.

"We need to be preserving a diversity of architecture and historical buildings and no longer tearing them down. Developers have no right to come into our town and do this."

Aashiq Mortimer agreed, saying: "The decision to demolish this beautiful building would be a terrible idea.

"Luton's architectural landscape has suffered from years of neglect and poor decision making, and approving this would represent a continuation of that trend."