The Jephson Hotel on Warwick New Road wants a two-storey extension taking it from 65 to 86 bedrooms, with 5 more parking spaces. Decision due by 27 November.
The Jephson Hotel on Warwick New Road has applied to build a two-storey extension at the back. It would add a net 21 bedrooms, taking the hotel from 65 rooms to 86.
The application, W/26/1014, was made by Turnbrook Limited. Warwick District Council validated it on 2 September. The council’s agreed deadline for a decision is Friday 27 November.
What is planned
According to the applicant’s planning statement, the scheme includes:
- a two-storey rear extension of about 715 square metres, with 22 new bedrooms
- the loss of one existing room in a reshuffle inside, so a net gain of 21
- a new rear reception entrance off Warwick Place, designed to be easier for disabled guests
- five more parking spaces at the back, taking the total from 35 to 40
- two accessible bays and two electric vehicle charging spaces
- six sheltered cycle spaces
- a wider dropped kerb at the Warwick Place car park entrance
One tree would be felled to make room for the new entrance. The plans use red brick, white render and a pitched roof.
Why the hotel wants to grow
The site is three Victorian villas that were joined to make a hotel in the 20th century. In 2021 the owners won permission to turn it into 27 flats (application W/20/1606). That permission was never used and has lapsed.
The planning statement says the hotel began to “trade extremely well” after that, helped by the end of Covid restrictions. It says the hotel “regularly has high levels of occupancy and excessive demand”, and the owners now want to meet it.
Council planners gave pre-application advice in January. The statement says they accepted the principle of a bigger hotel but raised concerns about the size of the first design. The scheme was cut back in response.
Parking is the main question
The council’s parking rules would normally ask for one space per bedroom. The applicant’s transport statement, revised on 15 October, accepts that the hotel’s 35 spaces are already below the 65 the standard would require. It argues that 40 spaces will be enough because:
- the hotel is a short walk from the town centre, with buses on Rugby Road and Princes Drive
- a parking survey in May 2025 found room in the hotel’s car parks, except on a Sunday morning
- nearby streets had spare spaces when its car park was full
It forecasts the extra rooms would add six vehicle movements in the morning peak and four in the evening peak.
Not everyone accepts that. A resident of Warwick Place objected on parking and road safety. The objection says hotel guests leave between 7.30am and 8.30am on weekdays, just as families arrive at a nursery opposite. It also notes the survey was taken around midday and in the small hours, not at that morning overlap. On the objector’s figures, parking per room would fall from 0.54 spaces to 0.47.
Another neighbouring household did not object. It asked the council to make sure new trees are actually planted this time, and that the car park is not used for coaches.
What the consultees said
- Royal Leamington Spa Town Council did not object. It said it was “positive to see this business thriving”, on condition that the parking survey meets the council’s rules, county highways do not object and there is enough EV charging.
- The council’s conservation officer raised no objection. The officer found no harm to the Leamington Spa Conservation Area, but recommended natural slate rather than concrete tiles.
- County tree officers raised no objection, subject to tree protection during building.
- Environmental protection officers asked questions. They asked whether road noise from Warwick Place had been assessed for the new rooms, and how loud the rooftop heat pumps would be. They also want a construction management plan.
No response from Warwickshire County Council’s highways team was on the register when we checked on 26 October.
What it means for you
If you live near the hotel, the formal consultation period ended on 19 October. Comments can still be sent through the council’s planning register until the application is decided, using reference W/26/1014.
It is not yet clear whether officers will decide it or send it to the planning committee. We will report the decision. For other applications near you, see our Leamington planning news.
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