A proposal to build a 100-bedroom hotel on East Marketgait in Dundee has been approved by council planners.
If the project goes ahead the hotel would replace the Shell filling station next to the Olympia and the East Whale Lane car park.
At this stage planning permission is in principle only and detailed plans would have to be drawn up for consideration before the final go-ahead could be given.
Applicant Peter Inglis Architects said: “The site is ideally placed to complement the Dundee waterfront development and embrace its vision to transform the city into a world-leading waterfront destination for visitors and businesses.”
They argued the recent approval of consent for a hotel at nearby Lower Dens Works showed there was increasing demand for a comprehensive range of facilities to service the tourism sector.
Detailed discussions would have to be held with the council over the hotel’s design, but the proposals as they stand are for a glazed feature on the East Marketgait frontage to continue the look set by the Olympia, with the main bedroom block being clad in blue engineering brick to match the multi-storey car park.
A council planning officer said the proposal contravened a policy that directs high-quality hotel developments towards the city centre, as the site lies just outside the official boundary.
However, he added: “The supporting statement demonstrates that the erection of a hotel development on the application site would be appropriate in this instance given the surrounding variety of commercial and leisure uses and given the fact that it is immediately adjacent to the city centre boundary.
“The provision of a new hotel between the city centre and the Gallagher retail park will enhance and complement the existing visitor accommodation in and around the city centre while providing an additional attraction to this part of the city.”
He noted the council’s environment department had raised concerns about the potential height of the hotel and how this would affect the dispersal of flue gases from the Olympia. However, this could be dealt with through a condition on planning permission.
Guests and other visitors with vehicles would be able to use the multi-storey car park, with a footbridge linking it to the hotel in the same way the Express by Holiday Inn on Dock Street is linked to the Gellatly Street car park.
Increasing the number of hotel beds in the city centre is a key part of the council’s plans to attract more visitors, with the £45 million V&A design museum as the centrepiece of a revamped waterfront.