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Heathrow Hotels to be converted
Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel Hotel is set to become an isolation and quarantine facility. The hotel has been block-booked by the Government for use as an isolation and quarantine facility should it be required.
When the hotel is converted it will be used for international visitors to the UK who develop coronavirus symptoms and for UK citizens who have returned home from countries that have had Covid-19 cases.
The Holiday Inn Brent Cross and the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow at Stockley Park are also being converted into isolation units on behalf of the Home Office. They will accommodate asylum seekers who exhibit symptoms associated with Covid-19.
Ironically, Construction Enquirer magazine is reporting a lack of available hotel rooms for travelling construction workers which is proving a major problem as more building sites look to restart.
Hotels have been closed since the lockdown started last month to everyone apart from key workers.
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New hotel planned in Maidstone
A new hotel is coming to Maidstone. Plans have just been approved to convert the former Mothercare store in the centre of Maidstone in Kent into a 132– bedroom hotel.
Plans for the new hotel include a lobby, café area and restaurant alongside the reception. The hotel will also feature a public rooftop bar with views overlooking the Kent hills.
The hotel will comprise three storeys facing Maidstone’s main pedestrianised shopping area with a nine-storey element sited just behind.
Proposed opening dates and details of the hotel operator await publication.
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New hotel proposed in Plymouth
Plans have been published to build a new hotel plus residential units on a patch of derelict land in Plymouth city centre.
The site, once home to an ITV television studio, could house a new ten-storey, 150-bedroom hotel plus apartments.
The proposed site is the between Millbay Road and Derrys Cross roundabout in the centre of Plymouth.
An outline planning application for the development is proposed.
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New Addition to Westminster Venue Collection
Central Hall Westminster has just joined the Westminster Venue Collection - a group of conference and events venues within the City of Westminster.
Central Hall Westminster is a Grade II-listed building and the largest conference and events venues in central London. The building first opened in 1912 as a public meeting space for the Methodist Church.
Central Hall Westminster has 23 meeting spaces. Its three largest rooms can be set up in multiple styles, with capacities ranging from 500 to 2,000 delegates. All rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology including a range of lighting and staging options. Catering is available throughout and includes seated dinners and a variety of lunch options.
Central Hall Westminster is located directly opposite Westminster Abbey.
Central Hall Westminster is the 34th venue to join the Westminster Venue Collection.
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Plans in for new Gateshead Arena
A full planning application has been submitted for a new arena, conference and exhibition centre on Gateshead Quays. The 80,000 sq-ft scheme is planned on a site in front of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
The £260million development includes a 12,500-capacity arena, conference and exhibition space, two hotels, bars, restaurants and car parking. The 10-acre site is located between the Sage Gateshead and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.
Developers are hoping to receive full planning consent later this year with the new arena set to open in 2023.
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Curzon Street Station approved
Whilst the new HS2 high speed rail link between London and Birmingham will have no immediate impact on the conference and meetings market, in years to come it probably will. Hence, we feature the good news that City of Birmingham’s planning committee has given the go-ahead for the Curzon Street Station project.
Curzon Street, in the centre of Birmingham, is the first HS2 station to secure planning consent. The first phase of the high-speed rail line will have four stations at Euston and Old Oak Common in London, Birmingham Interchange near Birmingham Airport and at Curzon Street in central Birmingham.
The second phase of HS2 rail link will run north from Birmingham and have stations in the North West, East Midlands and Yorkshire.
Curzon Street station will have seven platforms and a main entrance including a wall of glass up to 55 feet in height. The cost of the project is currently estimated at almost £600million. When the rail link is complete it will cut the current journey time between London and Birmingham from 1 hour 20 minutes to just 49 minutes.
No definite time scale has been published yet for its construction and opening.
When it does open we will be waiting at the end of the platform to show you around the wide variety of residential and non-residential events venues all within a stone’s throw of Curzon Street Station.