SUPERDRY BOSS IN BATTLE WITH COUNCIL OVER HIS HOTEL'S 'TATTY' TENTS

Superdry boss Julian Dunkerton has been caught in a bitter row with the council and a civic society over his boutique hotel's 'tatty' tents that critics argue obscure the view of three Grade II listed buildings. 

Dunkerton may often have been feted in his elegant home town of Cheltenham, after founding and building up the international Superdry fashion brand there, but he is now losing many admirers due to a long-running planning dispute.

The 59-year-old is not just the co-founder and chief executive of Superdry but is the director of the Lucky Onion Group, the company behind No 131. 

It's a boutique luxury hotel in arguably Cheltenham's most prestigious and famous street, Promenade, that offers food and drink to guests and the general public.

And it's the 16 white marquees, which cover dining tables outside the hotel, that have caused a big row in the town. 

The highly visible structures were supposed to be temporary, having been allowed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, but have stayed put ever since. 

This is despite Cheltenham Borough Council and a planning inspector saying they must go because they are spoiling the view of a row of five grade II* listed buildings in the town's central conservation area.

The Lucky Onion Group was told by the council in 2022 to remove them 'without delay' but appealed against the ruling. An appeal inspector backed the council in the summer of last year.

New plans were later submitted to keep the marquees but to reduce their height by around two metres and have their central peaks replaced with a lower, domed-shaped, covering.

But these proposals were also turned down because of the impact on the listed buildings. Enforcement action was planned earlier this year but now the company has appealed against that too.

Councillor Diggory Seacome, who represents the Lansdown area on the council, has campaigned to have, as he put it, 'all those tents outside 131' removed.

'Basically, he (Julian Dunkerton) has put in an appeal against the enforcement order which told him to take them down,' he said.

'So in this case he put in an appeal. He goes on and on doing it.'

Cheltenham Civic Society, which aims to conserve the architectural and historical features of the spa town, is backing the council regarding the marquees.

The society previously described them as 'tatty' and wanted to see them removed.

'We don't think that anything has significantly changed since the planning inspector rejected 131's tents,' chairman Andrew Booton said.

'So we fully support the council on this. The tents obscure the view of three of Cheltenham's finest Grade II* listed buildings and we now think they are affecting the town's reputation and overall attraction.

'Temporary structures are allowable for limited periods under planning legislation. Once they finally have to take their existing tents down, 131 would still have the opportunity to erect some temporary structures to increase its space during festivals such as race week.'

Chris Gomm, head of development management, enforcement and compliance at the council, confirmed that an appeal is ongoing.

'There is an enforcement appeal live, in respect of this scheme and the local planning authority will need to have due regard to this once this has been determined,' he said.

'In the meantime, engagement has taken place with the applicant in respect of options for a permanent solution and we are awaiting further details.'

The Lucky Onion Group has been approached for comment. It has declined to do so in the past.

It comes after Mr Dunkerton insisted last week that his passion for Superdry was as strong as when he founded it. 

His comments came on the day the struggling company announced a plan to restructure itself, raise equity and delist from the London Stock Exchange - to make it more financially sustainable.

The firm, once one of the Noughties' coolest brands. has launched a restructuring plan in desperate efforts to salvage its future on the UK's high streets.

The retailer which last year had 104 stores, with those now at risk, is known for its hoodie tops and T-shirts, with celebrity fans including ex-England football captain David Beckham and Formula 1 driver Sir Lewis Hamilton.

Experts have suggested the firm has struggled to appeal to younger shoppers despite linking up with with influencers and ramping up social media engagement.

As well as the Brooklyn Beckham and Neymar partnerships, guests at high-profile Superdry launches have attracted stars such as pop singer Pixie Lott.

But in the six months to the end of last October, sales across the business - which began as a market stall in Cheltenham - fell by 23.5 per cent to £220million.

Mr Dunkerton was previously married to Charlotte Abbot, with whom he has two children. 

They lived in a £3.25million, seven-bedroom, grade II-listed farmhouse in Lower Dowdeswell, a few miles outside Cheltenham, which Mr Dunkerton bought in 2007. 

In February 2016, he sold just under £50 million of his shares in SuperDry to fund his divorce settlement. 

That same year he met his current wife Jade Holland-Cooper, 37, whose fashion and lifestyle brand Holland Cooper has high-profile fans including the Princess of Wales and Claudia Winkleman. 

They married in 2018, at a ceremony in the Cotswolds during which artists Craig David and Idris Elba treated him and his guests to a live performance. 

The couple now live in palatial Dowdeswell Court in the Cotswolds and also own the 131 hotel in Cheltenham.

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2024-04-26T07:03:01Z dg43tfdfdgfd