DEVELOPERS wanting to convert a hotel into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) withdrew their plans after heavy resistance from residents.
Locals weren’t happy with the applicant’s scheme to partly change the three-storey Manor Hotel in Datchet into an HMO.
Out of its 43 bedrooms, 13 would remain as hotel rooms while the other 30 would’ve been used for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to house the homeless.
During the pandemic, the hotel has been housing the homeless, however, the owners said Covid-19 has had a ‘major’ impact on their finances and has left them seeking alternative revenue streams.
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An avalanche of objections came rushing in from community groups and members of the public over this scheme, saying it was an inappropriate development for Datchet.
Richard Cox, who wrote on behalf of the rotary club of Windsor St George, feared their evening meetings held at the Manor Hotel – which have been going on there for 20 years – would have to have gone elsewhere.
He also said an HMO and hotel hybrid would not be ‘feasible’ as there’s no external communal areas for future occupiers and the kitchens would be required for the hotel staff and guests.
The first floor plans.
The nearby Bears in the Park Pre-school objected to the plans, fearing occupiers of the HMO could pose a risk to their pupils.
They said: “Datchet is a small community, with limited sources of risk (thereby allowing our risk assessment to conclude that we are confident in keeping the children safe whilst outside of the setting).
“However, if we were aware that an HMO in the centre of the village was home to an ever-changing population of persons with past or pending offending records, our risk assessment would deem visits outside our setting unlikely.
“This would greatly disadvantage the children’s learning experience (and indeed fun), whilst depriving the community (especially the elderly) the opportunity of interacting with our children.”
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In an email to the Royal Borough, applicants requested the plans be withdrawn “on the basis of increasing local resistance to the proposed use”.
The application was fully withdrawn on February 11.
The Manor Hotel was contacted for comment.
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