Client: ennismore
Project: Hoxton Hotel Planning & Licensing Impact Study
What were MAKE asked to do?
Ennismore own the Hoxton Hotel brand. The first Hoxton Hotel was a pioneering boutique hotel in Shoreditch and the brand now has hotels across London and the world in locations such as New York, Amsterdam, Paris and LA. It wanted to add a seventh floor and roof terrace to its original flagship Shoreditch site, but this was inside Hackney Council’s cumulative impact area. Ennismore wanted to know if there would be any negative impact from the project and what mitigation it might need to put in place to ensure that it did not cause any planning or licensing problems.
How did MAKE do it?
We studied how customers arrived and left the building currently, how the management affected their dispersal and took noise measurements of the existing urban noisescape.
We audited crime and disorder statistics in this part of Shoreditch and identified whether any of it was linked to the Hotel (it wasn’t).
We interviewed hotel staff about the hotel’s impact and regulatory performance.
We reviewed the plans for the roof terrace, the capacities, customer regulation and sound controls in concert with the leading sound consultant in the UK.
We reviewed calls to the police or council regarding the hotel - there did not appear to be any issues.
We mapped and analysed all other venues in the area and audited their dispersal practices. We identified where there were problem venues that could be contributing existing problems.
We examined whether there were any residents nearby and whether they were, in reality, likely to be affected by the new development.
What happened next?
Our conclusion was that due to the type of customer attending the hotel and its bar / restaurant (slightly older, upmarket) that even if the new terrace was open until past the core hours for Hackney (which was Ennismore’s plan), there was negligible risk of any problems, providing appropriate sound controls and acoustic panelling were put in place by the owners. Despite some objections e.g. from the police, council EHO and licensing team, the hotel was granted its extension broadly in line with our recommendations.
What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?
By working with the country’s most respected building and sound system acoustician we were able to understand and then communicate better how the project could be designed to eliminate any negative impact. We also identified a crime hotspot nearby that had nothing to do with the hotel, but which was unknown to the police. It appears that a dark and under-surveyed area nearby had become a hotspot for mugging and our suggestion was to enhance lighting and patrols here, making it safer for all.