Hull City Council approves 22-storey hotel plans
Plans for a 22-storey hotel and conference centre in a historic area of Hull have been approved by the city council.
The proposed 284ft (87m) high, 243-bed hotel for the city's High Street includes a 1,000-seat conference hall, bar and leisure facilities.
Some residents and civic groups object to the plans, saying the hotel would be "a blot on the historic landscape".
Developers say 150 full-time jobs could be created.
The proposals were approved at the council's planning committee meeting earlier.
English Heritage, Hull Civic Society and disability group Hull Access Improvement Group (HAIG), along with some residents, objected to the plans on the grounds that "the proposed height of the tower is out of all proportion to the surrounding buildings".
'Great historical significance'
In a statement, English Heritage said: "The proposal as it stands, would mean a tower 86.7m high being built on the edge of the Old Town Conservation Area, on the west bank of the River Hull.
"This is an area of great historical significance, and important heritage buildings and archaeological sites would be affected by the development if it was to go ahead in its current form."
John Netherwood, the chairman of Hull Civic Society, said: "There is very little or almost no reference to provision of car parking.
"If you're dealing with a 1,000-seat conference centre and business people who're probably travelling from out of the city, probably by car, they'll need somewhere to put their cars and that somewhere has got to be quite close to where the hotel's being built."
A report by council officers states the development would "contribute to the regeneration of the area and would have an acceptable effect on the character and appearance of the Old Town Conservation Area".