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HKR ARCHITECTS & MARINA DEVELOPMENTS REVEAL PLANS FOR MILLENNIUM HOTEL AT OCEAN VILLAGE SOUTHAMPTON

The London office of HKR Architects, the award-winning international architect and design practice, has revealed its plans for a 224 bedroom 4* deluxe Millennium Hotel for Marina Developments Limited at Southampton’s prestigious Ocean Village.

On the site of what was formerly a boatyard – Maritime Walk, Princess Alexandra Dock – the proposed landmark development will have a prominent waterside frontage with stunning panoramic views across the marina. The design of the building is conceived as a series of interlocking blocks – on the base, an elongated glass block along the length of the promontory accommodating the public areas along with a more solid metal-clad block for the ballroom, which opens out for expansion into the piazza. The principal 10-storey guestroom block ‘floats’ over a plane of glass above the podium base.

As night falls the hotel becomes even more dramatic, with the triple storey reception space lighting up and transforming into theatre with strong visibility from the landscaped public piazza. Guest accommodation will be a mixture of luxury suites, family guestrooms and club guestrooms. Facilities at the hotel will include: banqueting and conferencing for up to 800; 139 car-parking spaces; destination restaurant and café bar – both with external terraces – together with a dedicated spa floor, as well as an executive and marina berth holders club lounge.

Bernard Lee, director at the London office of HKR Architects – whose previous notable projects include the 5* star Conrad Hotel in Abu Dhabi, Capital Towers, SZR in Dubai and the Westin Golf Resort in Alicante, Spain – commented: “The final design is an elegant and successful resolution to a challenging brief for this exciting urban waterfront quarter. Our approach ensured that we addressed existing uses as well as the integration of the site within its wider context. This dramatic and high quality scheme will further complement the cohesive development of Ocean Village and will help position the marina as the premier world class yachting destination on the south coast.”

Marina Developments Limited finance director, Alan Chater, added: “We are committed to building a high quality hotel on this site and the HKR design certainly meets our expectations.”

Historically, the area now known as Ocean Village, is situated on what was originally known as Outer Dock, Southampton’s first dock which opened in 1843. It expanded in 1851 with the construction of the Inner Dock and after almost a century of handling freight and passenger ferries, was renamed Princess Alexandra Dock after she reopened it in 1967. Parts of the dock wall are listed and two historic buildings exist – one of which was the former headquarters to the famous White Star Line.

In recent years the Ocean Village Estate has benefited from significant regeneration and development investment resulting in the delivery of residential apartments and town houses, office developments as well as extensive leisure facilities including two cinemas, marina, restaurants and bars, strengthening Southampton’s identity and reinforcing its leisure and marine events capability.

Gavin Hall of Savills’ planning team, who prepared the planning application stated: “We have worked closely with HKR Architects to ensure that the scheme optimises the solution for residents, local businesses and councillors, berth holders and the yachting fraternity, as well as the hotel operator – Millennium & Copthorne – and last but not least, events organisers, in order to bring the heart back to Ocean Village.”

David Curtis-Brignell of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels commented: “This proposal will really help to enliven Ocean Village Marina and Millennium & Copthorne is pleased to be part of these exciting plans. The site will become a key business and leisure destination and the link from the ballroom to the events area will assist to attract major events into Southampton.”

Email: gemma@crushcommunications.co.uk