An abandoned hotel could be knocked down and replaced by a development of 67 homes.

The owners of the former Bobsleigh Inn Hotel in Bovingdon have submitted plans redevelop the site and its surroundings.

Macdonald Hotels and Resorts wants to replace the 16th century 47-bed hotel, which shut in 2014, with a mixture of houses and flats.

The company says the existing building is in “poor condition” and a “state of disrepair”.

Along with the hotel, dilapidated caravans and garages would also be demolished. One mobile home would be relocated with the agreement of the occupier.

In its place would be the construction of 27 houses, ranging from two to five bedrooms, and 39 apartments in blocks of three storeys. A further house would come as result of a stable block being converted.

Watford Observer: The hotel in Bovingdon. Credit: Google Street ViewThe hotel in Bovingdon. Credit: Google Street View

Out of the 67 homes, 24 are designated to be affordable, including nine houses, equating to 36 per cent of the total number of homes proposed.

There are 56 car parking spaces proposed for the occupants of the flats and the applicant says an unspecified number of spaces will also be available for the houses, including garages.

Macdonald recognises the current state of the building is “poor” and earlier this year, the Mirror reported urban explorers visited the former hotel.

The Lost Adventurers snapped photos of an abandoned swimming pool and bedrooms, saying: “There must be thousands of pounds of furniture just left to rot away.”

Watford Observer: A bird's eye view of the hotel site including the caravans to the rear. Credit: Google MapsA bird's eye view of the hotel site including the caravans to the rear. Credit: Google Maps

A planning statement submitted on behalf of Macdonald says the principle of housing has been already agreed as “acceptable” following the submission of an outline planning application to Dacorum Borough Council in 2018 – although that application retained part of the hotel building.

The site is situated within the green belt but part of it is considered to be previously developed.

Bovingdon Parish Council raised concerns in 2018 about the proposal, citing it as “overdevelopment” and “out of keeping”.

The applicant says its scheme will ease the pressure on other green belt sites at risk of being built on Bovingdon to meet Government housing targets.

The latest application can be viewed on the council planning portal via reference 22/02029/MFA.