Green light for new Urban Villa hotel concept
The go-ahead has been given for the development in London's East End of the flagship property of a new extended stay hotel concept called Urban Villa.
Located on Whitechapel Road close to Brick Lane, the 217-bedroom hotel, which will be transformed from a 75,000 sq ft office building, has been granted planning permission by Tower Hamlets council. It will feature a distinct cutting-edge, Manhattan loft-style design.
The development is being undertaken as a joint venture between developers and Southern Grove, with the design conceived by architects Grzywinski + Pons from New York in collaboration with Dexter Moren based in Camden.
An independent operator is being sought by Restaurant Property to manage the roof-top restaurant with terraces, which will enjoy widespread views across the City of London.
Andrew Fowler, director of Union Hanover, said: "We currently own five sites where we are rolling out the Urban Villa concept; we are under offer on two more and hope to have doubled our current portfolio within 24 months.
"The next phase will be key European gateway cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and we would love to do something in New York, as it's had a significant influence on Urban Villa as a brand and still stands out when compared with Europe for design-led product."
He added the company would also like to open properties in Bethnal Green, Southwark, Hackney, Brixton and Camden, as well further afield in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Work is expected to begin on the project next summer.
