District councillors are this week expected to make a decision on plans to demolish the Woodside Hotel to make way for a block of flats and 43 houses.

Warwick District Council's (WDC) planning committee last year refused planning permission for developer Vistry to repurpose the Glasshouse Lane site, despite council planners saying the scheme should be approved.

Revised plans have since been put forward, with an additional energy and sustainability statement.

This new application will go before the planning committee again on Tuesday (April 16) with planning officers once again recommending it is given the green light.

"The development is a full planning application for 55 dwellings that complements the surrounding area," a council report said.

"And the layout demonstrates a high quality scheme which is acceptable in overall terms including in respect of the integration of built development within the surrounding landscape and the site provides additional benefits in securing appropriate links to the surrounding site to provide a comprehensive development across the overall allocation.

"Whilst the proposal will result in the total loss of a non-designated heritage asset, the report indicates that it is not possible to resist the loss and whilst unfortunate, there are no grounds to resist the development on this ground."

Much of the previous designs for the Woodside Hotel have been kept in the new application, but Vistry now says it will use more energy efficient materials, install heat pumps and solar panels across the units, as well as EV chargers.

The Woodside Hotel has been closed since 2020 (image via planning application)

The developer says it has looked at converting the hotel - which has been closed since 2020 - into the apartment block.

But it said this would be too expensive, and the 12 flats would not reach a sufficient energy standard.

Vistry also said there was no prospect of the Woodside reopening.

Kenilworth Town Council has once again objected to the application, saying there is no need to build more houses in that part of town.

Town councillors also raised concerns around the loss of trees, lack of detail about cycling routes and claims the hotel is no longer commercially viable.

"A further consultation should be undertaken to fully understand the additional need these houses would bring for services within the town, i.e., GP surgeries and dentists etc," the town council's objection said.

"Local circumstances have changed in recent years and any previous consultation can no longer be considered reflective of the current position."

The proposed layout for the new development (image via planning application)

While Vistry has already been given prior approval to flatten the site, locals and councillors have continued to speak against its redevelopment.

Last May an application to demolish the 74-bed Woodside was thrown out by WDC on biodiversity grounds.

The site was subsequently sold to Vistry who are currently building 620 houses around the hotel.

See the full application here.

If approved, the block of lfats would include 12 new homes (image via planning application)