RENEWED plans to bring a derelict Chester city centre hotel back to life, bigger than before, have been lodged.
Eaton Hotel on City Road currently looks dilapidated since it closed its doors in November 2015.
An application had been submitted in late 2018 to reopen the hotel with 29 extra rooms, bringing the total number to 49, by extending the site.
The plans were subsequently approved by Cheshire West and Chester Council in March 2019, subject to a range of conditions, most of them regarding development work.
Now the developer is seeking to amend some of the conditions so a phased development can begin at the site.
The overall plan would see the building completely refurbished, with an extension to the rear and into the roof.
The original application said the hotel was in a "very poor" condition, with "large holes in the roof and much of the hotel in an uninhabitable condition".
Proposed development work would see a four-storey extension over the existing outdoor drinking and service area, with an improved dining area, meeting room and bar area.
There would also be a reconfigured kitchen area, toilet area and dining area on the lower ground floor.
A new bar, reception area, lounge and meeting room would be built.
With the extension, some of the existing bedrooms will be made larger, while the top floor would see nine hotel rooms created.
Planning applicants Cassidy + Ashton said with the development: "the number of bedrooms will have increased from 20 to 49 and the quality of visitor experience will have improved significantly".
The new application, to seek variance on the conditions of the planning permission, has been made so a two-phase development can take place on the site.
Phase one would allow for the refurbishment of the existing site, with phase two focusing on the extension, and the application is to exempt phase one from several planning conditions which may not apply to the initial development works, such as demolition/construction traffic, canal risk management and the provision of bird boxes.
Comments on the application can be made at Cheshire West and Chester Council's planning portal, reference 22/00301/S73.
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