Plans for a 12-storey hotel - alongside a four-floor aparthotel - in the heart of Old Trafford have been given the go-ahead, despite a councillor’s warnings over the potential for traffic issues, a lack of parking and loss of privacy for neighbours. Trafford’s planning committee had twice refused the Novotel bid at 701 Chester Road. Their rejection of the scheme had been supported on appeal by a planning inspector. But when the developer returned for a third time - with plans for a larger footprint of the building between 701 and 709 but 'less massing’ - the entire committee, apart from Coun Simon Thomas, voted in favour of approval. That was also despite objections from neighbouring Lancashire County Cricket Club, which in a letter to planners accused the developer of trying to ‘wear down’ Trafford’s planning officers with repeated planning applications. Novotel will now build a 171-room hotel with a basement pool and rooftop garden and a separate four-storey complex of 61 serviced apartments. Coun Thomas argued the scheme was not sufficiently different enough from the prior applications which had been refused to merit his support. “I’m worried about access and egress [of cars] onto a main dual carriageway,” he said. “It’s still 12 storeys high and there’s been no real change.” He said residents on nearby Hornby Road would still be overlooked. Coun Thomas said the provision of 48 car parking spaces for a hotel with more than 200 rooms was 'not enough'. Coun Meena Minnis said the building did not look ‘as horrendous’ as it did for the previous applications, but added: “I’m not a fan of this, I’m afraid.” Novotel has now received approval to demolish an obsolete office block and commercial units and replace them with a hotel, which also includes ground-level commercial space and landscaping. Coun Michael Taylor said: “It looks like a phenomenal building. It will bring visitors and business to Trafford and is way better than what is there now which is an eyesore.” Coun Mike Cordingley also said he was supportive of the scheme, arguing: “Plenty of hotel advertise that they have no parking whatsoever. It’s a really good design - aesthetically, it’s wonderful.” But Coun Thomas countered that the aparthotel would tower over Hornby Road homes, and ‘impact on the residential amenity and reduce their privacy in the back gardens massively’. He also argued that hotels in other cities with parking of their own, were usually situated near public car parks which visitors could use as concessionary rates. Chair of the committee Coun Barry Winstanley was also in favour of approval and told him: “I think we will have to agree to disagree on this.” The application was approved, with only Coun Thomas voting against it.