Plans to demolish a Kenilworth hotel and replace it with four houses and five apartments are an improvement on previous applications for the same site, according to town councillors.

The application is the latest in a series of schemes put forward to redevelop the Peacock Hotel, after separate proposals to turn it into student accommodation and apartments were each withdrawn last year.

Planning permission was granted in 2019 by Warwick District Council to turn the 32-bed venue into student accommodation, but the development was delayed due to the pandemic.

This latest proposal said the previous application was withdrawn "as a high quality residential development was ultimately favoured by the applicant" - and members of Kenilworth Town Council's planning committee said the new design was a step forward.

"I think it is getting better all the time," Cllr Alix Dearing said at last week's committee meeting.

"I was so glad to see a photograph of how it will look, we could do with more of those.

"There are some objections of course, but it certainly seemed to fit in with the street scene."

An artist's impression of the front of the development (image via planning application)

If approved the scheme will see the hotel and no. 151 demolished and replaced with two three-bedroom detached homes and a pair of semi-detached three-bedroom homes, all built fronting onto Warwick Road.

To the rear, the hotel's outbuildings would be demolished and replaced with five two-bedroom apartments and parking spaces.

"This is quite a difficult site. At some point something has got to be done with it, it is clear that the hotel is not viable so there will be some sort of development," Cllr Andrew Milton said.

"This is better than what we have seen previously."

But Cllr Milton also said there were issues towards the rear of the site, its boundaries and the impact on neighbours.

He added: "I am less worried about what it looks like at the front as that is an improvement but its the impact on neighbours at the back that I am not sure they have got right."

Councillors did not add to the 10 objections to the application, and Cllr Rob Barry welcomed the fact that it could see a change from local houses being built on green belt land.

"I am pleased that it is an opportunity for some more residencies that are not being built on green belt," he said.

"We need more houses so let's build them on places like this."

See the full application here.