DOVER KENT ARCHIVES

Sort file:- Dover, September, 2021.

Page Updated:- Tuesday, 07 September, 2021.

PUB LIST PUBLIC HOUSES Paul Skelton

Earliest Jan 2012

Travelodge Hotel

Never opened

St. James's

Dover

 

First mentioned in January 2012 with the newspaper article below.

 

From the Dover Mercury, 5 January 2012. 80p

HOTEL REVEALS PLANS FOR LED SCREEN

TRAVELODGE Hotels, which wants to build a 108-bedroom hotel in the St James' area of Dover town centre, has lodged a second planning application with Dover District Council.

Following its initial application to build a hotel with restaurant and bars, BondCity Ltd, which is acting as agent for the Travelodge chain, has now applied for permission to erect an illuminated LED screen on the site.

Planning consultant for the project, Clifford Ranee, said: “The LED screen will be for advertising and information.” He added: “The restaurants on the ground floor will be let by Travelodge and run independently by other operators.

“The breakfast room on the first floor will be run by Travelodge.”

The plans will be discussed by Dover District Council and Dover Town Council.

 

From the Dover Express, Thursday, 17 May, 2012. 65p. Report by Kathy Bailes

DEVELOPMENT PLAN CLEARS FINAL HURDLE

A unanimous decision over regeneration scheme

REGENERATION plans for shops, homes and restaurants in the centre of Dover have cleared the final planning hurdle.

At a Dover District Council meeting last week the application for the second part of the St James scheme was approved by an unanimous vote.

DTIZ shop units

The first phase, for a 108-bed Travelodge hotel, telecommunications mast and 10-metre LED screen at Woolcoomber and St James streets, was granted permission in March.

Speaking to the planning committee last Thursday, council director of community and development Mike Dawson said: “This is a very important day in the Dover story. This is a major town-centre redevelopment we have been trying to bring off for several years.

“We are in a double-dip recession yet we have developers willing to work with us. It is a fantastic opportunity”

Proposals to regenerate the Dover Town Investment Zone (DTIZ) were first mooted in 1997. Planning permission for a scheme with Asda as the anchor tenant was granted in August 2009 but the superstore pulled out in March 2010 amid disagreements over design and car parking issues.

Laker Developments and architects Lyons Sleeman and Hoare then teamed up with DDC and development partner Bond City to create a new design based on the old street layout of the seafront site, coupled with a maritime theme.

Travelodge impression

IMPRESSION: Above, how the Travelodge will look.

The revamped plans include a 4.5 metre flint “town wall,” 390-space car park; public square with capability for 54 extra car places; eight shop units backing on to Townwall Street; two larger retail units at St James Street and Woolcomber Street; another five units between Dolphin Passage and the "Castle Inn;" a restaurant backing on to the River Dour; eight homes at the corner of Woolcomber and Castle streets; a kiosk at Flying Horse Lane and a park area at King Street.

Town wall

IMPRESSION: Above how the town wall could look.

There will also be a signal junction into the site from Woolcomber Street, a new road across the site to a public square at Fishmonger's Lane, new access to the site also at Woolcomber, traffic-calming measures, and pedestrian routes into the Market Square and links to De Bradelei Wharf.

Laker Developments chief John Laker said the unanimous vote would now strengthen negotiations with retailers looking at taking on the units.

He said: “This is another piece in the jigsaw of getting it together and making the scheme happen. We can now talk in much more detail to retailers with, the confidence of planning permission behind us.

We can also move forward with increased assurance that the redevelopment of this site will become a reality. We are pleased with the decision and very pleased to be involved with the town of Dover.”

Speakers at the meeting included Pat Sherratt, of the Dover Society, who urged developers to use traditional materials on the eight-unit retail block and DDC to consider using Section 215 orders to make owners of rundown properties bordering the site bring them back to standard.

Ian Taylor, of the Kent branch of the Association of British Drivers, said options for further widening of the A20, possibly with a third feeder road, must be included in the scheme. He also raised concerns about the lack of long-term parking and the need for coordinated timing at the new Woolcomber Street traffic lights.

Councillors were united in their backing for the scheme.

Flying Horse Land view

LONG WAIT: Above, planning approval has been granted for the DTIZ scheme, here showing an artist's impression of the view from Flying Horse Lane.

Amazing

Cllr Nick Kenton said: “It is amazing to have this ambitious and large project in such challenging times. With a double-dip recession, we are bumping along the bottom of the economy so it is nice to see such support for Dover.”

His view was echoed by veteran councillor Bernard Butcher, who said: “Dover will once again become a vibrant place to live in. This will increase viability and employment."

Construction of the Travelodge is expected to start by the end of this year and be complete in 2013. Masts will be moved to the hotel from Burlington House which is expected to be demolished next year.

Work on the second phase of the scheme is expected in the Autumn of 2013. First a period of time will be set aside for call-in options or appeals.

There will also be a process for compulsory purchase orders to gain the remaining land for this scheme, possibly taking up to 12 months, and an eight-month period of access and street works which will see some road closures and areas “stopped-up”.

Completion is expected in 2015.

 

From the Dover Mercury, 25 June 2015. By Victoria Chessum.

Plans altered for Travelodge.

St Jame's area plans 2015

A telecommunications mast has been removed from the design of the proposed 108-bed Travelodge hotel set to be built on the corner of Woolcomber Street.

■ Revised plans have been submitted to Dover District Council for approval.

■ It will be built in the south east corner of the site and will be a prominent focal point of the St James' scheme.

■ It will also house a bar and restaurant for guests to use.

■ Travelodge signed up in February for the 120,000 sq ft St James’s development in Dover town centre.

■ It has so far attracted Cineworld, M&S Simply Food, Frankie & Benny's, Bella Italia and Next. The council has said that negotiations with other tenants are ongoing.

■ A 16-week archaeological dig by the Canterbury Archaeological Trust is under way at the Woolcomber Street site.

■ Tim Ingleton, head of inward investment at DDC, said: 'There is no longer any need for a telecommunications mast as part of the hotel development.

"The operators of the few remaining antennas on Burlington House have found alternative locations."

Delighted to rid town of most unloved building.

Travelodge artists impression

An artist's impression the Investment Zone area and Travelodge.

Burlington House will be dismantled floor by floor and is set to be gone from Townwall Street’s skyline by the winter.

Preparation work will start next month when the district council assumes ownership of the last 5% of land, including the 12 floor office block and the multi-storey car park behind it.

The local authority and developers Bond City have commissioned DDS Demolition, who have been established since 1977, to tear it down.

The method called ‘top down’ has been implemented to reduce impact to traffic on the A20 accessing the Port of Dover.

Jay Preece, operations manager for DDS Demolition said: “We’re delighted to be working on this project.

“We’ll be working closely with Bond City and Dover District Council to ensure that we minimise disruption to the community during the demolition.”

The piece-by-piece dismantling is set to be finished by the winter so that construction of the main retail block on Townwall Street can start in early spring 2016.

Burlington House 2015

Construction of the 108-bed Travelodge hotel and six-screen cinema will start this autumn.

The multi-storey car park will be the first structure to go to make space for the processing of materials from Burlington House.

Waste streams will be processed on-site to recycle materials for use in the construction of the St James’s retail and leisure development.

Clive Lynton of developers, Bond City, said: “We’re delighted to be working with DDS Demolition to rid the town of its most unloved building, and to starting work on the construction of the new retail and leisure facilities that will revive Dover’s town centre.”

Cllr Paul Watkins, leader of DDC, said: “We know that everyone will be glad to see the back of Burlington House.

“It will restore the vista of Dover’s historic castle from this part of the town, and is highly symbolic of a new, positive future of growth and opportunity for Dover.”

MP Charlie Elphicke said: “This is fantastic news.

“Tearing down Burlington House has been one of my priorities over the last five years and it is just amazing that it will be down by winter.

"It is such a pity that Ukip caused delays by calling constant public meetings and took up loads of time, slowing the whole process down.”

Mr Elphicke said the building is riddled with asbestos and that a major gas main rims underneath its footings, which is why the ‘floor by floor’ method has been chosen.

He said: “It is always important to be safe, and DDC is right in making sure it is done safely and carefully.

“We have waited more than a decade for this, so a few more months is not much in comparison.”

 

LICENSEE LIST

 

If anyone should have any further information, or indeed any pictures or photographs of the above licensed premises, please email:-

TOP Valid CSS Valid XTHML