Hunstanton Town Council agrees to support planning application to renovate Golden Lion Hotel
Hunstanton Town Council has unanimously agreed to back plans which will see a historic hotel in the town renovated.
Proposals to revamp the Golden Lion Hotel, on The Green, were submitted to West Norfolk Council earlier this month.
If approved, this would see a new conservatory lounge with a “glass lantern-style roof” added. A report sent in with the application says this would make better use of the remaining west-facing garden, a space that has been “underutilised and is largely unknown or appreciated by passers by”.
At last Wednesday’s full Hunstanton Town Council meeting, Cllr Helen Croucher backed the plans and said she would like to see the listed building protected – while Cllr Paul Kidd, chair of the town council’s planning sub-committee, said he could not see any reason for the council to object.
Cllr Robert Corby considered the project “quite reasonable”, but suggested waiting to see if any “conflict” arises before making a decision.
However, town mayor Cllr Michael Ruston made clear that the council had been given advice to “just get on with it”.
A vote therefore saw the town council support the plans, which are still pending approval from the borough council.
The Golden Lion Hotel’s planning report adds: “Consideration has been given to the original building as well as the later extensions – both single storey – the one to the North being more in keeping with the original architecture and detail especially as seen in the stone windows being arched to match.
“Whilst it respected the stone work mid rail datum of the original building, just as the earlier extension had, it lost some of the finer details and the stone windows, some replaced in formed concrete, are square with no arch detailing.
“It is the stone datum that we have also acknowledged in this proposal allowing the new roof profile to sit just below.
“Equally, the new roof profile will sit above the original windows on this elevation, preserving the windows and allowing them to be viewed as original details from within the proposed room. Essentially the proposal will softly plug into the existing fabric without physical harm.”
