York Civic Trust attacks St Maurice’s Road hotel scheme (From York Press)

York Civic Trust attacks St Maurice’s Road hotel scheme

8:12am Saturday 31st July 2010 in

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PLANS for a new hotel in the shadow of York’s Bar Walls have been condemned as “disastrous” by one of the city’s heritage bodies.

The scheme would see a three-storey building created near the junction of St Maurice’s Road and Monkgate, with the developers behind it saying it could create 50 new jobs.

But York Civic Trust has objected to the design of the hotel, which would also include a restaurant, and said it would risk blocking visitors’ views of some of the city’s historic landmarks from the Bar Walls.

The application, submitted by York-based MoMo Architecture, is set to go before City of York Council planners in October. The site chosen for the proposed hotel is currently a car park directly in front of the walls.

In a letter of opposition sent to the council, the trust said: “Whatever the architectural merits of the building in question, and we consider there are few, in this location we believe it would be a disastrous addition to the townscape of York.

“It would make a negative contribution to the setting of the various heritage assets, which this site has in abundance. It would not only be visible from St Maurice’s Road but also, and more importantly, from the section of city walls which provide a viewing platform for hundreds of visitors.

“Most of all, it would create substantial harm to the character and appearance of the city walls, Monk Bar and the conservation area.”

Local residents have also raised objections over the setting of the proposed project and the extra traffic they fear it would create, as well as questioning whether another hotel is necessary in the area.

MoMo director Greg Morgan, who designed the building, has said the aim is for the hotel to add to York’s architectural heritage, with its appearance being inspired by a hotel in the Spanish town of Toledo, and that people walking along the Bar Walls would be able to see its reflection in their windows.

“It’s a modern design, but it has respect for its surroundings in its context,” he said.