Plans for an upmarket 23-bedroom hotel and health spa in Broughty Ferry have been recommended for refusal by council planners.
The proposed development, in Queen Street just west of the library, would involve the demolition of an existing house. A dozen nearby residents have raised objections, including fears about the impact on the Forthill conservation area.
A planning application by Broomvale Ltd seeking consent in principle for the hotel will be considered by Dundee City Council on Monday night. The company owns the Gulistan restaurant that occupies an adjacent former church.
Broomvale hopes to build a C-shaped, four-storey hotel, including a function suite that can cater to more than 100 people and a gymnasium/studio. Guests would not be able to park on the site, and would have to use the public car park on the opposite side of Queen Street.
Broughty Ferry Community Council has objected, claiming the hotel would result in over-development of the site and adversely affect neighbouring properties.
Residents have also raised concerns about road safety, noise and smell nuisance, loss of daylight and loss of a building of architectural and historical merit.
A report by planning officials notes that the city council has a policy of supporting high-quality visitor accommodation within central Broughty Ferry. However, another policy calls for licensed premises to be 45 metres from homes and the hotel would be only five metres from a property in Camphill Road.
The officials also say the hotel would obscure views of the C-listed library east along Queen Street and views west of the nearby B-listed former church. The mid-19th-century stone-built house on the application site, which would have to be knocked down, is reckoned to make a positive contribution to look of the area.
“In stark comparison, the proposed hotel building shall have a conspicuous appearance that shall overdevelop the site and detract from the appearance and setting of adjacent listed buildings, the historic Queen Street and Camphill Road streetscapes and the character of the surrounding Forthill conservation area,” the planners say.
The loss of a large section of stone wall on the northern boundary of the site would also be unacceptable, and the proposed vehicle access off Camphill Road would create road safety problems, they add.
Deputations for and against the planning application have asked to speak to councillors before a decision is made.