Plans for an eight-storey, 200-bedroom hotel at the Wandsworth Shopping Centre have been resurrected.

Owner Portfolio Holdings has put in a new planning application as part of a list of additions to a major renovation scheme already underway.

A hotel always formed part of the original plans, but was subsequently dropped. It has now been restored while Portfolio clarifies what it wants to do at the former Arndale Centre.

The hotel will be on the corner of Mapleton Road and Mapleton Crescent and will include a ground floor restaurant.

Portfolio already has permission for a car park but has asked for some extra spaces, wants to reduce the amount of screens in the planned cinema by two to 14 and wants to make room for a major new flagship store, probably Waitrose. The South Mall will be redesigned and new customer toilets and a new security office built.

Work has already started on the £60million scheme which is aimed at turning around the fortunes of the moribund shopping centre.

Portfolio has already been given planning permission for much of the work, including a gym, new shopping space and revamped walkways, canopies and entrances.

This is in addition to millions of pounds being spent by the council on renovating the Arndale Estate flats above the centre.

A council spokesman said the new plans, due to be discussed this month, were a "positive move":

The spokesman said: "The latest application is a sign of the detailed planning which is now going into the next crucial phase of development."

And the plans have also been welcomed by the Wandsworth Society, which says new owner Portfolio appears to have the will to get things done following years of decline at the centre.

"We're always looking for any upgrading to the centre in order to get more people in and encourage new retailers," said planning spokesman Tony Taylor.

"I've yet to look at the details of the plan but our initial reaction is that we're happy with the improvements."

December 7, 2001 10:35