成人论坛

Local conservationists are worried that the Thomas Cook Hotel on Granby Street is about to be torn down and replaced with a modern office block.

A Building of Significance

The building is one of the last surviving links to Thomas Cook, the pioneer of modern tourism, and therefore has great historical significance - both on a local and national scale.

The hotel's current form

Permission to swing the demolition ball was granted by non-elected City Council officers.

Head planning officer Bill Shelton was keen to stress that the vast majority of planning applications were dealt with in this way due to restraints from above:

"The planning officers are under extreme pressure to achieve performances dictated by central government, so all planning applications don't come to the planning committee."

The Decision Stands

He commented that because of the building's historical significance and its position inside an area that has had conservation status since last year, that a senior building conservation officer was consulted before making the decision.

Leicester's Thomas Cook statue

It was decided that because of alterations to the street-facing exterior the building's historical features had already been compromised.

Plans for the demolition and new build are firmly set to go on whatever complaints conservationists have, as Bill reinforced:

"Once the decision is made then that decision stands."

Bill seemed reluctant to express his personal views on whether the building should remain standing or not, eventually stating that, "under the situation I can see why the officers came up with the decision that they did".