YORK'S first five star hotel has been given the green light by councillors.

As The Press revealed exclusively in June last year, York could get its first five-star hotel in GNER's historic headquarters building.

Last night, City of York Council's planning committee voted unanimously to pass plans by Acropolis Hotels Ltd to transform the Grade II* listed building in Station Rise into a flagship international hotel.

Councillors heard from Ian Tempest, of Visit York - the city's new single tourism organisation - that the hotel would be exciting for the York economy and something that key tourism stakeholders strongly support.

He said: "The hotel is expected to create between 250 and 300 jobs and there will be a significant skills and training requirement for such an establishment which will be addressed through the colleges and other local sources, thereby raising the profile of the industry as a quality occupation in which to work."

The hotel would have more than 100 bedrooms and suites, a fine dining restaurant and a brasserie, a range of function rooms for weddings, meetings and conferences, a deluxe spa with treatment rooms and many other facilities which would provide the hotel with state-of-the-art guest amenities while also preserving the heritage and architectural importance of the building.

Neighbourhood services boss, Coun Ann Reid, said: "We all want a five star hotel and there is clearly a need for a five star hotel.

"It's quite difficult with the way the star system works to absolutely guarantee, but the applicant has been working with everybody they need to to ensure that the facilities are there to make it five star standard.

"I think the amount of investment that's needed will mean that they probably not be able to afford to miss getting that fifth star. I would think in economic terms that the investment is only justified by that fifth star."

According to the AA and VisitBritain, guardians of Britain's official hotel classification scheme, five star hotels should be "spacious, luxurious establishments offering the highest international standards of accommodation, facilities, services and cuisine".

Multi-lingual staff, porterage, a concierge service, a full afternoon tea service and evening turn-down are also expected of five-star hotels.

A motion by Coun Christian Vassie to include secondary glazing as a condition of the redevelopment was voted down.

Labour councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing said: "It's an exciting use for an old building. I like the idea of keeping an element of the building's history in there with the original 1902 architects drawings on display so that members of the public can see that it's original use was as a railway building."