A planning application has been submitted to the council seeking to turn a two storey office block on Leyton High Road into a 19-bed hotel, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Currently empty, Graylaw House on Leyton High Road was previously a hotel called Coronation House, Credit: Google Streetview

Plans have again been put forward to turn an empty office building into a hotel, complete with a cafe and new reception area.

The two-storey Graylaw House, in Leyton, has been vacant for 18 months and “needs to start making money,” agent Samson Space says.

If approved, the new 19-bed hotel would comprise a mix of single and “family” rooms, with a view to boosting tourism in the area.

After three years, the applicant would then apply to redevelop the site into a “mixed-tenured, multi-residential building” with a commercial ground floor. The applicant would develop those plans while the building was operating as a hotel.

Graylaw House previously functioned as a two-star hotel in the mid-2010s, called Coronation House.

Historic reviews posted on TripAdvisor were a mixed bag: some guests praised its “low cost” whilst others criticised it for being “unclean”. The last write-up was posted in January 2017, about a stay in early 2016.

In documents submitted on behalf of applicant Kamry Properties, a representative from Samson Space said the change of use would “provide a new commercial element” to the borough that would bring in both money and tourism.

They said: “The building is in [a] prime location and should [not] be left standing unused with so many benefits.”

They added that the building was clearly “not working” as a commercial property, having sat empty for the past 18 months.

However, Waltham Forest Council’s planning department refused three separate plans to turn the building into a bed-and-breakfast between 2016 and 2018.

Proposals to build an 81-bed hotel were rejected back in 2013, as were plans for a third-storey extension in 2021.

The reasons for most of the refusals are not currently available, but the 2021 plans failed due to a lack of information submitted by applicant City Inn Express Leyton.

Kamry Properties was not involved in any of the previous attempts.

In its supporting statement, submitted to the council in May, the agent also argued the High Road hotel would benefit from its strong transport links, including bus routes and the nearby Central and Overground stations.

They added that the busy Leyton street was already home to a variety of independent shops and businesses.

Kamry Properties is also “open” to offering the council freedom to use the hotel, the agent added.

Councils across London use hotels and bed-and-breakfast services to house residents while they look for more suitable, long-term accommodation. However, it can be a costly process, and many authorities are keen to build more homes in their boroughs as a result.

A decision on the building’s future is expected to be made by the Waltham Forest’s planning department by 25th September. If approved, work on the new hotel would be finished by December.

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