Milton Keynes 14-storey 'luxury' Hotel La Tour approved

Plans for a 14-storey "luxury" hotel in Milton Keynes have been approved, despite objections from Historic England and a conservation officer.

Hotel La Tour will be the tallest building in the town when it opens next to the Centre:MK in 2020.

Historic England opposed the plans as it believed the hotel would "harm the significance of the grade II listed shopping building".

Hotel La Tour Ltd said the building would "raise Milton Keynes' profile".

Milton Keynes Council's conservation officer shared Historic England's concerns and said the scheme should only be approved "if public benefit outweighs the harm".

The plans have been approved by Milton Keynes Council's development control committee.

When Milton Keynes was designated as a new town in 1967, planning guidance stated no building was allowed to be taller than the tallest tree.

This was later changed by what was then the Milton Keynes Partnership which decided the town needed "landmark buildings" and raised the height limit.

The original plans for Hotel La Tour requested approval for an 18-storey hotel, but this was reduced to 14 following consultation.

Plans for the 14-storey version include a rooftop bar and restaurant, conference rooms, leisure facilities and a public viewing area with art installation on the top floor - to be known as "SeeMK".

Richard Peats, from Historic England, said: "Although there have been large buildings built, there hasn't been anything quite this big.

"This is a very big change and I think it will make Milton Keynes less unique."

Hotel La Tour Ltd said it will provide 195 full-time construction jobs when it's being built and 167 full-time jobs when it opens.