Roundabout Hotel Fareham: Plan to turn building into flats is thrown out
A bid to turn a hotel in flats has been turned down because of flooding fears
Plans to convert a landmark hotel near the M27 into flats have been thrown out.
Fareham Borough Council has refused plans to transform the Roundabout Hotel into 14 flats over flood risk concerns.
The council said the applicant, Tom Holloway, failed to show that the development in Wallington Shore Road would be safe for residents over its lifetime.
Planning officers also found the flood risk assessment did not properly consider the impact of severe flooding, including climate change, or demonstrate that people could safely enter and leave the site during flood conditions.
The decision to refuse the proposals was made on May 29, and it comes after the hotel went on the market in April at a guide price of £75,000.
The plans to convert the 16-bed hotel – which has been welcoming guests since 1907 – were first tabled in June 2025. In a statement submitted to the council last year, Mr Holloway outlined plans to convert the ground, first and second floors of the hotel, with partial demolition, to create 14 flats.
It was proposed that there would be five flats on the ground floor, five on the first, and four on the second.
To mitigate the noise from the neighbouring Delme Roundabout, the statement said: “This has been the case with the commercial hotel bedrooms, and they have used double glazing for resident comfort. We propose to improve on this.”
To reduce the risk of flooding, the applicant proposed using flood-resistant materials to limit damage, installing “sustainable drainage systems”, and putting in place a flood warning and evacuation plan for residents in coordination with emergency services.
However, this was not deemed sufficient by the local authority.
In the final report, the planning officer said: “Land to the south of the site is in Flood Zone 3, with the flood risk area reaching up to and beyond the front of the hotel, although most of the building itself sits outside the flood zone. In the absence of an adequate flood risk assessment, we maintain our objection to this application and recommend that planning permission is refused. It does not demonstrate that the development will be safe for its lifetime.”