A SIX-STOREY hotel has been approved in the centre of York.

The 82-bed hotel also promises to be one of the first hotels to generate net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the country.

York-based developer Helmsley Group has received planning approval to build the hotel in the Mill House car park site, off North Street.

The approval from City of York Council's planning committee last night follows a recommendation for it from its planning staff.

A range of eco-friendly initiatives aim to give the scheme a BREEAM target rating of Excellent.

The Helmsley Group says this means during construction, the greenest alternatives to traditional construction will be used. The carbon output from construction will be minimised and where it can’t be, will be offset.

The design also includes sustainable features such as solar PV, air source heat pumps and a biodiverse green wall.

No car parking spaces will be provided in order to reduce carbon emissions and to support City of York Council in meeting its climate change targets.

The developer also says the hotel will not feature bar or restaurant facilities as Helmsley wants to encourage business and tourism guests to visit surrounding hospitality businesses and visitor attractions.

Max Reeves, development director at York-based Helmsley Group, said: “The approval of our plans for the Mill House site is good news for the city of York, as we not only enhance an underutilised space, but create a building of architectural and environmental high standards that will make a positive contribution to the surrounding area and wider city economy.

“We are grateful to City of York Council for its support and acknowledgement that our proposals will preserve the appearance and character of the conservation area and nearby listed buildings and places of worship, as well as being considerate to neighbouring residents by not including a food and beverage offer.”

As the Press previously reported, six months ago, the developer sought to build an eight-story ‘zero carbon’ hotel, but it has now scaled down its plans, delivering 82 rooms, instead of an original 99, after objections from Historic England, the York Civic Trust and others.

The site is in a conservation area and close to other hotels such as the Park Inn and the Micklegate Travelodge.

However, the latest, smaller scheme, still faced some opposition.

The Micklegate Planning Panel said the rooms would be ‘inadequate’ and the plans offered little evidence about the carbon neutral nature of the application.

The panel also said just because the site is hidden away, the hotel’s architecture should not be ‘mediocre’.

York Civic Trust said the scheme would deliver a building ‘excessively tall and out of character’ with the area.

Historic England said the latest plans went some way to address previous concerns, adding a further reduction in height would better fit in with the historic surroundings.