'We have too many hotels in Luton': Hoteliers' anger at plans for rival in student village

Wenlock Court in Manor Road consists of four blocks of student accommodation adjoining the University of Bedfordshire.

Applicant Campus Living Villages (CLV) is seeking permission to transform Wenlock Court into a part-time hotel.

To do so, they have applied to vary one of its planning conditions from 2008, which restricts the site to student and staff accommodation.

CLV's agent Indigo Planning stated: "While the development was built for student accommodation and is currently occupied as such, demand has decreased, making such provision less viable at present.

"Given Luton's strategic location with an airport and close to London and the motorway network, CLV proposes that flexibility be introduced into the use of the building, allowing short-stay non-student accommodation, ie some hotel use.

"CLV also wishes to maintain flexibility to allow the provision of student accommodation to be re-introduced, should the market change if demand for student accommodation increases at a later date."

The application is recommended for approval by the council's planning department, as the current condition "fails to meet the test of necessity".

Several hoteliers including Landsec [owner of the Ibis Hotel at Luton Airport], the Icon Hotel in Stuart Street, the Linton Hotel on Tennyson Road, and Centro Hotels Ltd based at Phoenix House, Mill Street, have lined up to criticise the plans.

Michael Bugler of the Icon Hotel stated: "There is currently a considerable oversupply of hotels throughout Luton and surrounding areas and any approval to remove this condition would not be sustainable."

Gessy Anacreonte of the Linton Hotel added: "The amount of hotels now in the town is ridiculous - regulated and non-regulated... With all the Airbnb and cheap accommodation on offer, Luton is becoming cheap and degraded again."

Ali Mussani, of Centro Hotels, said: "We have recently invested a large amount, as have other hoteliers in Luton, and it would not be be fair to have substandard accommodation that has not been fully tested under the rigorous planning policies of the council to which we were all subjected."

The development control committee hearing takes place at 5pm tomorrow (Thursday).