A petition has been launched to help prevent the Woodside Hotel from being demolished.

Locals have rallied to save the manor house after Vistry Partnership West Midlands revealed plans to knock it down to make space for 55 new homes.

The developer - which recently bought the closed conference centre - has submitted two planning applications to Warwick District Council.

One asks for permission to demolish the hotel and to build the new housing development.

Meanwhile the second is simply for prior approval to knock down the hotel.

Kenilworth Nub News understands a decision is expected on the latter this week - despite the fact Kenilworth Town Council is supposed to discuss the two applications tonight (April 27).

While the Woodside - which has been shut since early 2021 - is not a listed building, it is on the district council's heritage assets list.

Petition organisers said: "Unless Warwick District understand that many people oppose this destruction no attempts will be made to save Woodside.

"Our local history and part of our personal histories too, hosting parties, christenings and weddings with memories dear to us as individuals. In danger of destruction to make more housing developer cash."

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

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

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

If approved, the fresh application would see the Woodside knocked down to be replaced with 43 houses and a block of 12 apartments.

The Woodside has been closed since early 2021 after the then owners, The Sundial Group, went into administration.

The building was then bought by Archel Homes for £5 million before being sold again to Vistry.

According to the latest planning application, the hotel has been stripped and vandalised during that period, leaving it "in a poor state of repair".

"Therefore, the hotel is now at a point where it would be uneconomical to make the required refurbishments to reopen as a hotel," the application said.

The building spent much of the 20th century as a training centre for Coventry-based textile manufacturer Courtaulds before being sold to the Chudley family in 1997 and turned into a hotel.

To sign the petition - please follow this link.

Comment on the full application here and the second application here.

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