A developer has appealed after its plans to build a hotel in a high street were blocked for being "out of character".

Eastern Ironworks' agent MRPP applied in September 2022 to build an 82-room hotel on the site of Time Tees Cars and a Costa outlet in Station Road, Upminster.

But Havering Council refused permission for the plans - rumoured to be for a hotel operated by Travelodge and with 6,500sq ft of shops and offices on the ground floor - in January.

A statement with the application had said the existing buildings on the site were low rise and “of poor quality” compared to those around them.

It claimed the hotel would “enhance and diversify the borough's limited hotel offering”, help raise business growth and employment opportunities and “enhance the vibrancy" of Upminster’s town centre.

Eastern Ironworks claimed they were in talks with Costa to set it up inside the hotel after demolition of the existing one.

But the council rejected the proposal on the grounds that the hotel would lead to a “cramped" development that would be “out of character” with the buildings around it.

It said the building’s overall scale, bulk and height and design and proximity to the shared boundaries would dominate the townscape.

Other reasons for refusal included the impact on traffic and air quality. Townspeople had also raised concerns about limited on-site parking proposed, and questioned whether Upminster needed a hotel in the first place.

The council’s decision to turn down the plan is now being challenged by Eastern Ironworks through an appeal filed on May 12. A planning inspector will make a decision based on written representations.