A Cheltenham hotel has been given the go-ahead to expand, despite residents' concerns.

Councillors last night unanimously approved plans by Cotswold Grange Hotel in Pittville Circus Road to remodel and extend the hotel to create six additional bedrooms, a function room and a small terrace.

The building, which dates back to the 1850s, is a locally listed building.

Applicant Nirav Sheth, who has run the hotel for the past 18 years, told Cheltenham Borough Council's planning committee: "This is a natural evolution for the hotel, allowing us to better serve our guests and this development will allow us to host a broader range of events. 

"It's a modest increase of just six guest bedrooms which will allow us to meet demand while maintaining the intimate setting our guests love.

"Today Cotswold Grange continues to attract visitors from around the world. With 26 bedrooms, we anticipate over 13,000 overnight stays annually, directly benefiting Cheltenham's shops and attractions and increasing our full-time team from nine to 13 employees. We expect our guests to spend £1.5 to 2m a year locally.

"Our carefully considered proposal for a large function space provides a much needed venue for local events and small celebrations and cultural gatherings.

"This is about more than bricks and mortar - it's about keeping independent, characterful places alive in a world where they are disappearing. It's about securing the future of a historic property and supporting local jobs and supporting Cheltenham's wider visitor economy."

However, local residents were not so enamoured with the scheme.

A representative from residents in neighbouring Moorcourt Drive, told the committee: "We really feel the plans will change our lovely street for the worse forever."

She said that currently, the hotel barely intruded into the lives of residents at all but that would all change if the proposed extension and function room was permitted. 

"It's changing the nature of the street from being residential to feeling commercial," she said. 

"It would be worse is the summer when the windows and doors in the pavilion are open and there are people on the terrace. It would remove the airy feel of the street and there's a very real concern of being overlooked."

Despite these concerns, councillors voted unanimously 8-0 to permit the scheme.