Legoland Windsor Resort have submitted a full planning application for a 61 bedroom extension to their existing hotel accommodation following consultations held last month.
Proposed to be located in the northern area of the theme park, the themed hotel extension will sit on the site of the existing Dino Safari ride which, should the planning application be granted, be demolished to make way for the new hotel. The proposed extension will consist of three storeys and will have its own ‘Castle theme’ to distinguish it from the current Legoland Hotel. Although the proposal is for the extension to have 61 rooms, the development will actually lead to a net gain of 59 rooms as 2 existing rooms will need to be removed from the current hotel as part of the development. As with the current hotel, the new extension will offer a mixture of both standard bedrooms and themed ‘premium’ bedrooms. Other features of the new extension include its own lobby/reception area, outdoor decking and play area overlooking the lake, and a small restaurant/bar which will have the capacity to serve breakfast and daytime drinks and snacks, however will not be able to accommodate a full dinner service.
As with the current hotel, the new extension will be heavily themed on the southern side facing into the main park with back of the hotel taking on a more neutral appearance to help minimise the visual impact from the exterior park boundary. Themed to a medieval castle, the main fascia will feature grey ‘castle style’ bricks with blue tops to the castellations. Access to the extension will be via a covered walkway. Guests would enter via the main hotel reception before being directed through the exiting restaurant and making their way across the walkway.
The planning application also features a number of proposed alterations and enhancements to the facilities in the exiting hotel to help provide facilities for the additional accommodation. These include two new lifts; a relocation of the current shop in the hotel entrance area; the creation of a viewing gallery to the pool area; and most significantly, an extension of the existing hotel restaurant to provide an additional 200 covers to enable guests in the new accommodation to be served.
This latest application aims to align itself with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council’s visitor strategy’s aim of persuading visitors to ‘stay longer and spend more’, as well as capitalise on the growth of the short breaks market. It also aims to reduce the number of daily journeys to the Resort by car by encouraging more people to stay on site, therefore reducing the traffic on the already busy roads around the Resort. During the recent public consultations the plans received positive feedback from those who attended, with 94% agreeing with Legoland Windsor Resort providing additional family accommodation, and 83% providing positive feedback towards the design of the hotel. If granted, the new extension will open in early 2017.
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