Unanimous approval for Durham County Cricket hotel
The Riverside Hotel will provide 154 guest rooms with more than 50% overlooking the pitch, as the club looks to develop itself into a major sporting destination.
Located at Durham Cricket Club’s Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street, the six-storey hotel scheme has been supported by architect Howarth Litchfield and consultant DPP.
As well as the bedrooms, the project will provide an additional 983 spectator seats over nine tiers, 85 car parking spaces, a reception area, restaurant, bar, fitness suite, club shop, and meeting rooms.
Durham’s North area planning committee unanimously approved the application at its meeting last week, and has been hailed as “an absolute game-changer” by the cricket club.
Under-croft parking has been designed at ground level to ensure the hotel rooms and hospitality areas are both kept up and away from the potential flood zone and to also overlook the cricket pitch.
The bar/lounge, restaurant, and function rooms will face the cricket pitch across a terrace that leads down into additional seating directly linked to the hotel. The top four storeys will comprise the guest-rooms.
As for a future operator, Hilton has expressed interest in the site.
