Four-star Hotel La Tour granted planning permission in Milton Keynes

1024 683 Katy Phillips
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Design concepts include ‘sun’ optical illusion.

Planning permission has been granted for the four-star luxury Hotel La Tour in Milton Keynes, with the next phase of design planning now underway.

The 250-bed hotel, located on Marlborough Gate, will include conference and meeting room services, a gym, spa and pool facilities as well as a rooftop restaurant with a viewing gallery.

The scheme, designed by pHp Architects following a public consultation, also includes a design feature that creates the illusion of the sun on the east side of the hotel off Midsummer Boulevard. It works by surrounding a large circular feature with a mirror cladding system and using external lighting to complete the illusion.

The development is owned by Hotel La Tour, a privately owned British hotel company. The next stage of design planning is underway, comprising Couch Perry Wilkes (CPW), the engineers providing the mechanical, engineering and plumbing (MEP) expertise as well as the BREEAM assessor role. The design team also includes Gleeds, pHp Architects and Scott, White and Hookins (SWH) Structural & Civil Engineers and Sharps Redmore Acoustics.

Mark Stuart, managing director at Hotel La Tour, said: “We are delighted to receive the green light for the Milton Keynes hotel development. Our emphasis is on quality and the entire building design team have certainly delivered above and beyond that in their plans.

“Hotel La Tour Milton Keynes will fill a much-needed luxury services gap within the area and bring life and connectivity to the Centre:MK area. It will also create approximately 200 new jobs as we recruit and develop local talent.”

Matt Wrate, director at CPW, said: “We are thrilled that Hotel La Tour has been granted successful planning permission but we aren’t celebrating for long as the third stage of tender design plans are already in motion.

“We are busy developing client specific solutions to ensure that the guests and staff have the best possible experience when visiting and working in the hotel. We are therefore working with specialist designers for interior design, audio visual, spa specialists and artists working on commissions within the development.

“We are also excited to be providing a specialist lift consultancy service as the scheme will also include a scenic glass elevator, three further passenger lifts and a general lift and vehicle lift to service the conference facilities.”

Wrate added: “We are working closely with Hotel La Tour and the other design team partners, such as Gleeds, to deliver a viable and sustainable luxury hotel for Milton Keynes.”

International property and construction consultancy, Gleeds, is providing cost and project management services for the project and has been working with Hotel La Tour

Brian McArdle, director at Gleeds, said: “Not only will Hotel La Tour provide luxury hotel accommodation for the city of Milton Keynes but through the construction process will help to drive the local economy and attract further inward investment into the region. We’re looking forward to work starting on site and delivering the scheme over the coming year.”

Katy Phillips / 20.04.2018

Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand. During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.

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Work highlights: Katy has been with Hotel Designs since the beginning, way back in 2015 when Forum Events & Media Group acquired the brand.

During this time, she has fostered many meaningful relationships with clients from across the hospitality spectrum, as well as playing a pivotal role in the launch of The Brit List Awards, Hotel Designs MEET UPs, client-led roundtables and panel talks, brand and website redesigns, HD Wellness Sets, DESIGN POD podcast, Hotel Designs LIVE panel talk series, Accessible Design Talks and more. Katy is always on the lookout for the next opportunity to help grow the Hotel Designs brand even further.
 
Most recently Katy has stepped in to the role of Publisher at SPACE magazine, the printed bi-monthly publication focused on hotel design, architecture, and development.

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