A HISTORIC hotel in the city centre has failed to win planning permission for an extra 28 bedrooms and two new function rooms.

The White Hart in St John’s Street wants to remodel and extend an existing building on site and build a new function room and dining room in place of an existing single-storey building.

While the 18th century hotel is a Grade II* listed building, the proposal primarily involves the remodelling of the hotel’s 1970s bedroom wing by infilling the parking undercroft and building a third-storey extension.

At Thursday's Southern Area Planning Committee, councillors praised the decision to improve the appearance of the current building, which they described as "appalling", but said the proposals were "not good enough".

Cllr Ian Tomes said: "You'd expect to see the proposed hotel building in Bournemouth, Brighton, Basingstoke, anywhere in the world. You wouldn't expect to see it in Salisbury city centre conservation area next to a Grade II* listed building.

"We all want this hotel to prosper and we all want Salisbury to prosper but it's important not to make the same mistake made in the seventies [when the existing wing received permission]."

Councillor Brian Dalton described the new building as being "mutton dressed as lamb" while councillor Chris Devine called it a "poor design" and committee chairman Fred Westmoreland said he had the feeling it was being done "on the cheap".

Councillors also raised concern over the loss of 23 parking spaces and the position of two new function rooms which were "a throw of a teacup away" from "half a dozen" houses.

Residents living next door said the function rooms would "dramatically increase" activity resulting in "more and more noise".

Plans for the site have evolved over the years with schemes in 2002 and 2003 being refused over design and amenity concerns, and a more contemporary design being withdrawn in 2013.

On Thursday seven councillors voted against the latest application with reasons including the design and impact on historic environment, parking and both the noise and overbearing impact on neighbours. There were two abstentions.