The developer behind plans to open a bar and restaurant in a former temperance hotel in Bath has defended the scheme.
New owners of the Carfax Hotel on Great Pulteney Street have submitted plans to turn the ground floor of the hotel into a bar and build an extension to the rear to make room for a new restaurant, which would see the loss of around 15 parking spaces.
The plans, which also include an increase in rooms from 31 to 40, would signal a significant change for the hotel, which until 2013 was owned and run by the Salvation Army and did not serve alcohol to its guests.
They have been met by resistance from local residents, who have tied bunches of flowers to the railings outside the hotel as part of a Gardens Not Bars campaign.
But Glauco Cerri, from GECO Properties UK, has defended the company's plans, saying that rather than destroying gardens all they are doing is building on Tarmac yard.
He said: "We are aware of local residents' concerns about the Carfax Hotel redevelopment and are keen to reassure that our plans are very much aimed at improving the current site.
"There is currently no natural garden space within the Carfax Hotel/Great Pulteney Street site that will be lost through our development. As it stands, the limited nursery grounds are covered in AstroTurf, an artificial material that is detrimental to the environment. In our submitted proposal, our single-story extension will be developed on the currently existing Tarmac car park and old nursery grounds, therefore no natural greenery is at risk of loss.
"In a conscious effort to improve views from neighbouring properties, which currently overlook a car park, our submitted plans include new landscaping featuring a living sedum green roof on top of the extension and increased localised landscaping with trees and shrubs."
He added: "We recognise that the preservation of Great Pulteney Street area and its greenery is of the utmost importance to local residents. GECO Properties UK Ltd is committed to preserving the natural, green beauty of this area and will ensure that our efforts are continued to finish."
However, Gardens Not Bars have refuted the suggestion that the development will not destroy a garden, declaring Mr Cerri's defence of the scheme as "almost unbelievable".
A statement from the campaigners said there was a garden behind the Carfax Hotel, which belonged to the residential coach house, the family home of the former hotel manager.
It added: "This denial of the reality of the site plus Mr Cerri's continued lack of concern for the local neighbourhood is what triggered the Bath residents' response.
"The name Gardens Not Bars came from a note written on a card left with flowers on the hotel railings by a resident. It seemed to capture the local feeling, not just about the proposal to demolish this residential garden, but also the detrimental impact on residents' amenity.
"The north side of Great Pulteney Street is predominantly a run of family gardens leading towards Henrietta Mews and Park. Currently, the typical sound heard in these gardens is birdsong.
"How can a proposal for a 72 seat bar and restaurant and outdoor dining, drinking and smoking from 6am to 11pm be an appropriate addition to this tranquil environment? The noise, smells, traffic and general nuisance would undoubtedly spoil residents' enjoyment of their homes and gardens."
The application can be viewed in full at www.bathnes.gov.uk.
People have until May 20 to comment on the application.
