Eden Project granted planning permission for £8.5m hotel

Planning permission has been granted for the development of a 109-bedroom on-site hotel at the Eden Project visitor attraction in Cornwall. The £8.5m hotel will be designed to blend into the countryside and have high standards of accessibility, energy efficiency and sustainability. The hotel will be split into two blocks with prominent timber poles cladding the outside of the building. Construction of the hotel is expected to start in late 2017, with the hotel set to open in April 2018. David Harland, Eden Project executive director, said: “Our ambition has always been to build a hotel at Eden so we're pleased to have been granted planning permission. “We feel that the hotel will be a positive addition to the already excellent accommodation available in our local area and will help bolster our reputation as an attractive venue for events, conferences and weddings.” "We feel the design is eye-catching but in keeping with its surroundings and we're proud to say that it will be built to the highest environmental standards.” Eden said the hotel accommodation is designed to support its existing projects and partners and also future developments at the visitor attraction, as well as provide accommodation for visitors to big events, such as the Eden Sessions series of summer concerts. It will have classrooms in it to support Eden’s educational programmes, including its apprenticeship scheme and degree-level courses. Eden originally received planning permission for a hotel in June 2015, but, following advice from hotel experts, a revised design was submitted in May 2016 with additional facilities. However, the revised application was withdrawn following public concerns over the visual impact and scale of the proposal. Eden developed a new design in order to address those concerns. The accommodation has been split into two blocks to reduce its visual impact. Local stone cladding will be used at the lower level of the buildings, and locally-sourced timber poles are designed to set the main accommodation blocks into the surrounding landscape. Existing features in the area, including old trees and stone walls, will be incorporated into the design of the grounds. New features, including a meadow and orchard, will be planted around the hotel.