A query over whether planning permission should have been sought to use a hotel in Bracknell to house families from Afghanistan has been cleared up.
The former Grange Hotel in the town centre is being used as ‘transition accommodation’ for 194 Afghan people who have legal status and are due to be resettled in longer-term accommodation throughout the country.
That has led to a question over whether planning permission should have been sought by the government to house them.
A spokesperson from Bracknell Forest Council said: “The transition accommodation has relevant planning permission as a hotel, called a Class C1 use. The building got this permission many years ago.
“This allows for the building to be used as a hotel, guest house, boarding lodge or similar.
“If a building changes its name or ownership, but not its use, then a new planning permission does not need to be sought.
“If the building was being used as a nursing home, hospital, or other facility where regular and continuous care is provided, then a change of use would need to be applied for.
“The council has taken detailed legal advice on if a change of use is needed, both before the guests arrived and when the original Epping District Council High Court interim injunction was made. Both times the advice has been that no change of use is needed.”
The spokesperson added that hotels may have doctors or other medical professionals visit guests from time to time to provide an element of one-off, immediate or emergency care.
This does not constitute a change to a Class C2 use.
The statement clarifying the status of The Grange comes following a previous clarification from councillor Mary Temperton (Labour, Great Hollands), the council leader, who said it is being run by the Ministry of Defence.
The lack of need for permission has been disputed by Malcolm Tullett, the constituency representative for Reform UK in Bracknell.
Mr Tullett said: “Cllr Temperton claims The Grange (Bracknell) Hotel is ‘transitional accommodation’ and therefore no change is needed. That is a sleight of hand.
“If the use has changed from public hotel to government-funded hostel, that is a change of use in planning terms.
“No amount of rebranding gets around the law.
“Reform UK says enough. Planning rules exist to protect residents, not to be bent to suit government schemes.”
Mr Tullett made this statement amid a legal dispute over the use of The Bell Hotel to house asylum seekers in Epping, Essex, which has been the focus of protests.
While the Conservative-controlled Epping Forest District Council achieved an interim High Court injunction to cease use of the hotel to house asylum seekers, this was overturned in a Court of Appeal ruling.
Mr Tullett’s statement was made prior to the court of appeal ruling on Friday, August 29.
A final trial in the Bell Hotel case is due to take place next month.
