PLANS to demolish a former tax office in York city centre and replace it with a new hotel have been submitted to City of York Council.

Developers want to create a 146 bedroom Marriott Courtyard hotel on the site of Swinson House in Piccadilly, next to Spark:York, which was previously occupied by HMRC staff but has been lying vacant for some time.

The owners of the building, Dominvs Group, say the hotel and associated restaurant/ bar will create between 50-70 full time and part time jobs, as well as additional employment opportunities during construction, and it will also mean a significant investment in the city.

A spokesman said the site’s location, within the council’s Castle Gateway masterplan area, provided a unique opportunity to create a "generous, active frontage" on Piccadilly and greatly improve the streetscape and the overall pedestrian experience.

“The development will deliver a building of high-quality architecture, in keeping with its surroundings, and create a new destination through the introduction of a ground floor restaurant and bar open to the public,” he said.

He said Dominvs Group had held a public exhibition in August which was well attended and the feedback had been encouraging.

Development director Lee Saywack said he was grateful to everyone who attended the public exhibition and provided their feedback in the summer, and he was pleased to have submitted the plans to the local authority

“Our proposal is to replace the vacant office building, which has become outdated, with a new high quality hotel that will complement the wider area, meet demand, and fit with the vision of the wider Castle Gateway masterplan that City of York Council has put in place,” he said.

The Marriott Courtyard is only the latest in a series of new hotels to open or be proposed in Piccadilly. The street already has two hotels - a Travelodge and a Holiday Inn - and plans for two other new ones have also been put forward - a 159-bedroom hotel on the former Banana Warehouse site and an adjacent 155-bedroom Hampton by Hilton, on which work is starting.