The City of London has attacked government plans to allow hotels to be converted to homes without the need for planning permission.
It claims that the relaxation of change-of-use rules could hurt the competitiveness of the Square Mile.
Chairman of the City of London planning and transport committee Martin Charles Farr said: “This is yet another threat to the future of our core areas of office space in the centre of London, so it is of great concern.”
Similar plans to allow office space to be converted into residential without planning permission were heavily watered down last year on the back of protests led by the City.
The consultation, which closes on 11 September, states that allowing the conversion of hotels to residential use “could trigger activity” by offering new opportunities to the house-building industry.
Alongside hotel conversions, the document also proposes a change-of-use order for agricultural buildings to “low-impact business use” such as workshops, offices, storage, cafés and leisure, and doubling the size allowance for change of use of office and light industrial assets.
jack.sidders@estatesgazette.com
