The Linton Lodge Hotel

Reconfiguration and Extension of Existing Facilities

Redevelopment of the Linton Lodge Hotel near to Oxford City Centre, involving the reconfiguration and extension of the existing facilities to provide for a new ‘boutique’ hotel offering, whilst increasing the number of bedrooms from 87 to 123.

The proposals were in many ways transport led, where reliant on significantly reducing the number of car parking spaces to enable the extension of the hotel and to generally improve its visual appeal by way of increased landscaping that better engages with Linton Road. This required an innovative approach to limit concerns by highways officers and interested local residents, by encouraging a shift away from car travel by staff and guests of the hotel and to avoid unacceptable overspill of car parking onto local streets.

mode assisted KE Hotels throughout various pre-application and planning application stages and formulated a sustainable transport strategy that would seek to provide meaningful sustainable travel alternatives to car travel, whilst still assessing the impacts of potential on-street car parking should it still occur. This included the provision of on-site availability of bicycles through partnership with Bainton Bike Hire, sustainable travel options integrated into the online customer booking experience, as well as proposed partnerships with the Oxford Park and Ride operator and local taxi firms operating via Oxford Train Station.

Further challenges also arose with ongoing waste collection, servicing and delivery arrangements with a reduction in car parking and associated hard-standing, and mode prepared evidence to demonstrate that these needs could still be met and to the satisfaction of both the hotel operator and highways officers.

In the process, mode also successfully negotiated with highways officers that no off-site highways contributions would be necessary and that existing good quality pedestrian and cycleway infrastructure on Banbury Road would suffice in supporting the sustainable transport strategy of the site.