Lentune Probus Club Members will be interested to learn that Tim and Nikki at South Lawn, after some 18 months of deliberating and seeking pre-application advice from the NFDC planning department, have now submitted a planning application to redevelop the hotel.
Original plans for a cricket pitch and glamping pods in the field behind the hotel have been abandoned in favour of stables and associated facilities, for which permission was given earlier this year. The groundworks and reconfiguring of the paddocks has already commenced.
Work on improving the car park for the Cornwallis Suite this summer will be in line with the plans and will greatly benefit Club members.
The planning authority have been enthusiastic in supporting the proposals and the addition of 18 bedrooms has been welcomed. The biggest area of concern is that the additional floor is in keeping with the rest of the hotel. Drawings on display in the hotel suggest this has been achieved.
Tim and Nikki have rejected the planning authority’s suggestion to remodel the front facade of the hotel and consider moving the reception and entrance, saying: “We do not wish for the hotel to feel corporate by its appearance. We like South Lawn the way it is and don’t want its lovely feel to change. Importantly the rearranging of our facilities during our refurbishment over the past 3 years fully considered the operational challenges an additional 18 bedrooms would provide.”
Members may wish to view and support the planning application, which you can do by going to www.newforest.gov.uk/planning. Click on ‘comment on an application’ read through and follow the link. You can find the application by searching South Lawn Hotel or by reference 19/10842. There is a tab to submit supporting comments.
You can also view the plans at NFDC’s Lyndhurst offices by prior appointment.
The Club is very pleased with the scheme, which will greatly enhance the facilities we enjoy at South Lawn. We wish Tim, Nikki and their team at South Lawn success in securing planning approval.