Plans to build a 90-bedroom hotel and 39 flats at a site which contains a former motorbike shop that appeared in a popular TV comedy have been approved
The proposals for the site in West Hill, Dartford, were submitted to Dartford council for approval almost two years ago in August 2023.
Former motorbike shop EC Bate, which featured in an episode of The Inbetweeners, is one of the buildings that will be knocked down.
It appears in the third season of the series, when Jay pretends he knows how to ride a motorbike and crashes seconds later.
Other existing buildings will also be demolished to allow the new scheme to be built in their place.
According to the planning statement, the scheme, drawn up by property developers Skillcrown Homes, will have two tower blocks – both of which will be part five and part six storeys.
The front building will be T-shaped to create a 90-bedroom hotel, including a mix of standard, family and wheelchair-accessible rooms, with a check-in and bar area and green roofs for biodiversity.
The other block will contain 16 one-bedroom flats, 22 two-bedroom flats, and one three-bedroom flat.
A public consultation was held in May 2023, and the developers said most of the feedback was positive.
However, issues surrounding parking and the impact on the local road network, as well as on properties in Tower Road and Cliffside Court were raised.
The scheme was amended to address the design concerns.
The Environment Agency, Kent County Council’s flood and water management, Thames Water, and Kent Fire and Rescue raised no objections.
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There were 16 objections made from members of the public, with one saying the development would not be in keeping with “period properties” in West Hill, and would be “another large-scale eyesore”.
The plans were approved, subject to conditions, on June 19.
