Fresh apartment plans for ex-hotel and restaurant site

Fresh plans have been submitted to demolish the former La Gondola Hotel & Restaurant and build apartments in its place.

EB Property Solutions bought the Osmaston Road site in 2021 and submitted plans for demolition and redevelopment.

However, the application was refused by Derby City Council in December due to several fundamental issues, including the overall scale of the proposed development.

Now, Matthew Montague Architects has been appointed by Elgie Properties to redesign and submit plans to redevelop the site.

The revised scheme comprises 42 apartments over two blocks: 38 being two-bedroomed and four one-bedroomed.

In a statement, Matthew Montague Architects said: “The scale of the new proposal has been reduced so that it isn’t overly dominant on the street scene.

“By splitting the volume into smaller masses, the arrangement and hierarchy replicates that of the former hotel.”

Located about a mile from Derby city centre, La Gondola was once one of the city’s most fashionable venues, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s.

However, the venue finally closed its doors in 2009 and has since fallen into a state of disrepair.

The previous planning application was for a four-storey building containing 58 apartments.

One of the two blocks in the new Matthew Montague Architects design still spans four floors.

However, the ground floor is to be set lower and the fourth floor stepped back from the external facade to minimise the impact on the aesthetics of Ashtree House adjacent to the site.

The second block is reduced in size to reduce the impact on the adjacent properties.

A statement filed to the city council on behalf of the applicant said: “The city council’s target of 11,000 homes reflects evidence of a finite capacity for the city to meet its own needs within its administrative boundaries on brownfield and other sites.

“The city’s additional housing needs are proposed to be predominantly met through urban extensions across the boundary, mainly into South Derbyshire.

“Locations around Derby provide better opportunities for reducing reliance on the private car. This is particularly the case where new homeowners retain strong connections to the city, for instance for employment.

“It has been demonstrated that the proposed development would be compliant with both local and national policy.”